Hollingstwins
by darkest-nights-will-end
Summary: A series of fics exploring the dynamic between the Hollingsworth siblings, focusing primarily on Hunter and Frankie. Chapter 11: Welcome Home.
1. Beauty

**A/N: A series of fics exploring the dynamic between Hunter and Frankie. I am taking requests so please let me know if there's anything you'd like to see!**

 **First up: Beauty**

When Lola had mentioned that some of the boys were using an app to post ratings of Degrassi's girls, Frankie had found it ridiculous. Not only was it objectifying, but it was just stupid, and a waste of time. Who cares what some stupid boys had to say about her, or her peers? There were so many better things that could be done with their time. Frankie rolled her eyes and told Lola she wasn't interested in seeing the stats.

Frankie had downloaded the app by lunch.

Curiosity got the better of her and she had to know where she stood. She considered herself to be pretty, and while she had some attributes she was insecure about, overall Frankie was pleased with her appearance. Still, it was nice to have some validation from others.

She opened the app, using Facerange to verify her status as a Degrassi student, as this app was apparently used around the country. Frankie rolled her eyes, but clicked on the "Grade 9" tab. She scrolled down, seeing generally high markings for her friends. Shay's average ranking was a 7, while Lola's was an 8. Frankie smiled, happy for them. Maybe this app wasn't such a bad thing after all, it could even be used as a confidence booster. However, her happiness and faith in humanity was short lived when she found her name.

 **Frankie Hollingsworth**

Average Rating: 5

A 5? Frankie frowned as she checked again, only to have the number still staring back at her. She didn't understand why her score was so low in comparison to others. Frankie knew she was no model, but she had thought she was more attractive than average! She closed the app, vowing not to let it get to her. After all, it was just some stupid guys.

"Frankenstein! Come on, it's time for dinner!" Hunter knocked on the door. His sister had stayed in her room since they had arrived home, and while it was unusual, it had kept her from bothering him, so he hadn't thought too much of it.

"Go away Hunter, I'm not hungry," Hunter cocked his this. Something was definitely up, Frankie never stayed this quiet or this isolated for long. Hunter turned the doorknob and entered her room.

"What do you mean you're not-" Hunter stopped dead in his tracks. Clothes from Frankie's closet were carelessly thrown around the room, and her vanity was disorganized for once, her makeup scattered about. "Woah, what happened in here?"

Frankie looked up from her position on the bed. She had been lying down, phone in hand as she continued to refresh the app in hopes her score had gone up.

"Hunter, I told you, I'm not hungry," Hunter walked over to her bed. Frankie moved her legs, allowing him to sit down.

"What happened to your room? It looks like a tornado passed through here," Frankie sat up to meet her brother's level, but wouldn't look him in the eye. She looked uncomfortable, but answered her brother's question.

"I was looking through my outfits to see if I had anything more...I don't know, attractive I guess," Hunter looked at her in confusion.

"What are you talking about?" Frankie handed her phone to him. He recognized what was on the screen almost immediately. He had heard Baaz talking about it a few days ago but he found it to be a waste of time and hadn't bothered to check it for himself. Hunter took a closer look, observing his sister's number, and understanding why she was upset.

"Frankie, you realize how easy it is to manipulate this, right?" Frankie finally looked at him, confused.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, there are other factors that people could be voting on. Maybe they don't like me or Miles, or they think our dad is a bad Mayor, or maybe you've had an argument with some of them." Hunter reasoned with her.

"So you don't think it's me?" Frankie said, hopefully.

"Frankie, it doesn't matter what any of them have to say. You are beautiful, no matter what some stupid phone application says," Hunter put his arm around his twin, pulling her in for a side hug. She leaned into his side, smiling at her brother's words. Rarely was he as sincere as he was now.

"Thanks, Hunter. That means a lot."

Hunter tried to diminish the sweet moment by joking with her, but she knew he meant what he said.

"Besides, you're a Hollingsworth, and my twin at that. Beauty runs in our blood," he smirked, earning a slight laugh from Frankie. He deleted the app from her phone before handing it back to her. Hunter stood up, offering his hand to his twin.

"Ready for dinner?" Frankie took his hand and nodded, wearing an identical smirk to him as she allowed Hunter to pull her off the bed.

After dinner that night, Hunter sat in his room, phone in hand. He opened the app that he had just downloaded and found his twin's name, giving her a perfect rating, which immediately raised her average. For good measure, he signed in as Miles and did the same before deleting the app.

If Frankie had any doubts and decided to go social media again, Hunter would make sure she'd find the validation she needed.

 **Next up: Father**


	2. Father

Hunter and Frankie hadn't believed Miles when he first insisted their dad was abusive. They knew their dad could be a bit tough on them, but his campaign was important and it was crucial the kids stay on their best behavior. Miles didn't exactly have the best track record when it came to making right choices, and they assumed his vendetta was a byproduct of being told he couldn't do whatever he wanted. His brother tried time and time again to warn the twins, but Frankie and Hunter both shrugged it off as Miles trying once again to get the twins to turn. It wasn't until the Degrassi Nudes Scandal came out that the twins saw their father's true colors.

Frankie was in her room, on her computer, trying to report the false claims that she had started the scandal. Frankie had been afraid of this happening, and of course, it was her that was being forced to take the heat. She had regretted being a part of the program from the start, but everything went to hell as soon as she stuck up for herself. Unfortunately, she was getting nowhere with trying to detach her name from the scandal.

She was pulled from her thoughts by a knock at the door.

"Come in," she called. The door opened to reveal her father. He walked in, looking upset. Frankie stood up to meet him, closing her laptop. Her father looked annoyed, and wasted no time with pleasantries, instead getting straight to the point.

"Francesca, more and more people are finding out about this naked photo fundraiser that _you_ started. Do you know what this is doing for my campaign? Miles does enough as it is, I really don't need you becoming a delinquent as well," he said.

"Dad, I didn't start it! I didn't even want to be a part of it, but I felt like I had no other choice," Frankie pleaded with him, to no avail.

"Then explain to me why it's only _your_ name being released," Mr. Hollingsworth's tone was becoming louder and more hostile.

"I don't know, somebody is trying to blame it on me! I'm trying to figure it out but it's not easy," her father sighed and moved towards her.

"Francesca, I do everything for you and your brothers. And this is how you repay me? Do you understand that if I lose the election, it will be your fault? I thought you were good, but you've made it clear that Hunter is the only one of you three that has any of my respect right now," Frankie's eyes watered at her father's words and tried once again to defend herself.

"Dad, I know it was a mistake but you have to believe I didn't start this! I didn't want it to happen at all in the first place, it's not my fault!" Her father suddenly grabbed her arms roughly, and slammed Frankie up against the wall she had been standing in front of. She gasped in pain, but her dad either didn't notice or didn't care.

"I am sick of your lies. If you don't figure out how to hide this from the press, the consequences will be worse than you could ever imagine," he was practically shaking in rage at this point, leaving Frankie to hit the wall more than once. She didn't react, too paralyzed with fear. She couldn't imagine her older brother dealing with this every day. Frankie was about to respond, but another voice rang out before she could.

"What the hell are you doing?" It was her twin brother, Frankie sighed in relief. She silently begged Hunter to help her instead of trying to stay on their father's good side. He quickly walked over to her and their father, forcefully removing their dad's hands from his sister. He didn't put up a fight, immediately stepping back when he was made aware of Hunter's presence. He tried to use his political charm on his son.

"Your sister and I were just having a chat about her little stunt with the nude photos. It's nothing to worry about, Hunter," he said. Hunter moved so he served as a buffer between his father and sister.

"She said she didn't do it, why can't you believe her? And even if she did, you can't put your hands on her like that," Hunter said, before asking the armour-piercing question. "Dad, is your campaign more important than your own kids?"

"Of course not! But you know how difficult things with Miles have been, I can't afford to let my other two kids do anything that could cost me the election," Hunter rolled his eyes as Mr. Hollingsworth became more defensive.

"Slamming my sister against the wall isn't going to change what happened!" Hunter hadn't meant to say it as harshly as he did, but his anger was increasing as his father continued to make pathetic excuses. He wanted to get physical with him, maybe do to him what he did to his sister, but Hunter knew it would do nothing but anger their father more and scare Frankie, so he refrained.

"It was an accident, I didn't mean t-"

"You should go," Hunter interrupted. Mr. Hollingsworth looked between the two twins before finally giving in.

"Okay. Okay, I'll go," he put his hands up and head down as he backed away before finally exiting. Once he was gone, Hunter shut the door before turning to his twin, who hadn't spoken since he'd entered the room.

"Did he do anything else to you?" He asked, anger still prominent in his voice. She was rubbing her arms, which had red marks in the shape of handprints. Hunter knew his sister would be wearing long sleeve shirts for a while to cover the bruises that would inevitably form on her skin.

"No, that was all. It's alright, Hunter, I kind of deserve-" Hunter cut her off.

"Do not finish that sentence. He has no right to harm you in any way, shape, or form, no matter what. Do you understand?" He was forceful, but there was a clear tone of concern in his voice. He waited for her to meet his eyes so she could see how serious he was.

"Yes, Hunter," she nodded. She walked to him and wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him in for a hug. Hunter returned the gesture, putting his hands on her back. He noticed her flinch and he pulled back quickly, choosing instead to put an arm around her shoulders. He saw the pain written on his twin's face, causing him to feel his anger rise even more, but he didn't want to scare Frankie. He suddenly realized he had no idea how to help in this situation, but luckily he knew somebody who probably would: Miles.

"Frankie? I'll be right back, okay? I'm going to get some help for your injuries, but I'm coming right back," he said. Frankie nodded, and Hunter dashed out of her room, heading to his brother's. Hunter wished he had believed Miles at his first instance that their father wasn't world's greatest dad. Maybe if he had, Frankie wouldn't have been hurt. But Hunter had more important things to think about at the moment, like how to help her.

Everything felt so uncertain, but if there was one thing Hunter knew, it was that his siblings would not be hurt by their dad again.

 **A/N: All forms of abuse of serious. This is not intended to make light of it.**

 **I am taking requests, so let me know if there's anything you'd like to see!**

 **Next up: Aftermath**


	3. Aftermath

**This is part two of Father, dealing with how the Hollingsworth siblings deal with what happened. Thank you to everyone who's read so far! I love writing these and I hope to have the next one up soon.**

Hunter prayed Miles was alone in his room as he walked through their house, for once cursing it's size. He also made sure to keep his eyes and ears out for their father, but he had noticed no trace of him. Hunter allowed his anger to return as he thought about what he had seen. How could somebody do that to their own child? To his _twin_? And especially to someone like Frankie, who, despite how annoying she could be, always had her heart in the right place.

Miles's door was open, and Hunter didn't bother with knocking. Miles was lying on his bed, taking a nap. The younger boy strided over to the bed and shook his sleeping form. Miles awoke, looking at his brother confused.

"Hunter, what are you doing?" He asked groggily, as he rubbed his eyes.

"Dad hurt Frankie and I need your help, I don't know what to do," Miles sat straight up before the sentence was out of Hunter's mouth.

"Wait, he hurt her? How badly?" Miles was awake and out of bed, trying to figure out the best course of action.

"He grabbed her and slammed her on the wall. Her arms are sore and bruising and she flinched when I touched her back," Miles sighed and grimaced at the depiction of abuse his brother was describing. He knew all too well what Frankie's pain felt like.

"Okay, we need to go get some ice. It'll help any swelling go down and it should lessen the coloring of the bruises," Miles and Hunter walked out of his room immediately and to the kitchen, where they grabbed the necessary equipment. When they came back to Frankie's room, Hunter noticed she had not moved since he left her. He handed Miles the ice packs he had been holding and strided over to her. He bent down, meeting her eye level.

"I asked Miles for help. He's going to look at your injuries and make sure they aren't too bad, and then we're going to ice them, okay?" Frankie nodded. Hunter stood up and offered his hand to his twin, which she graciously took. Miles, who was trying to asses the situation from afar, joined his siblings. He put the ice packs down on the nearest surface before addressing his sister.

"Franks, are you okay?" She shrugged.

"He never even said sorry," she said, as if it were the worst part of the ordeal. Miles grimaced.

"I'm sorry you had to find out this way. He has issues, but that doesn't mean he can take it out on you."

"He can't take it out on you either," Frankie pointed out.

"Better me than you. Older siblings exist for a reason," he shrugged. "So the worst of it is on your back, right?" She nodded, "Okay, turn around, I'm just going to look at it and then we'll set you up with an ice pack."

Frankie did as she was asked. Miles unzipped her dress part way, letting the sleeves fall down slightly so her upper back was revealed. Miles and Hunter both gasped. Her back was a mixture of black, blue, and red, the bruises having already began forming. Hunter clenched his fists, but calmed himself down thinking by thinking rationally. Right now, she was top priority.

"Frankie? I'm just going to touch them to make sure it's only bruising," Miles said. He tried to be as gentle as he could, but she still gasped in pain when he pushed on one of the marks. Hunter stepped forward as soon as the noise escaped Frankie's mouth.

"What the hell, Miles? You're hurting her, stop!" Hunter was about to touch his arm, but Miles stopped him.

"Hunter, I don't want to do this either, but we have to just in case," Miles spoke with a caring but firm tone. Hunter reluctantly agreed and stepped back. Miles finished the process as quickly yet carefully as he could.

To everyone's relief, Frankie's bruises would heal eventually and nothing more serious was wrong with her. Hunter led her to her bed so she could lie down, while Miles set the ice packs up and gave instructions on when to rotate them. Hunter made a mental note to check in every so often to make sure she was following their brother's directions. Miles bent down, giving his sister a light kiss on the forehead before exiting the room. Hunter could feel the concealed anger his brother held for their father, and he could almost guarantee Miles would be looking for the parental unit.

Hunter sat on the end of the bed, looking at Frankie. He had never been good at small talk, but luckily, she spoke up first.

"I guess Miles was right about Dad, huh? I wonder what he's done to him," She tried to smile, but it was sad and forced. He didn't know how she could even attempt to smile after what had happened to her.

"Yeah, he was right. It really puts everything into perspective."

"We should apologize."

"We will. But not now, for now you just need to lie here and rest," there was an awkward pause.

"Please be careful around him. Try not to be alone with him if you can avoid it. Miles or I will be happy to stand by you," Frankie smiled, a real one this time.

"Thanks, Hunter. You need to be careful too, though. I know you get angry sometimes, but please don't take it out on him, it'll only make things worse," his twin knew him so well.

"I won't, I promise. Do you need anything?" Hunter asked. Frankie bit her lip, and avoided eye contact as she spoke.

"Will you stay here for a while if you aren't busy? Please?" Hunter smiled.

"Of course," her bed was big enough that he lied down next to her with no trouble.

The twins spent the next hour happily chatting about anything and everything they could. It reminded them both of how close they used to was nice, both siblings silently agreed, and hopefully they would do it again under more pleasant circumstances.

 **A/N: A reminder that all forms of abuse are serious.**

 **I am currently taking requests!**

 **Thanks for reading!**

 **Up next: Scared**


	4. Scared

**Thank you so much to everybody who has read, favored, followed, or reviewed. I'm having a lot of fun working on this!**

 **This chapter takes place immediately after #Sorrynotsorry.**

 **Scared**

When Frankie left the Snowball, she was in a state of ignorant bliss. What had started as an awful night had quickly turned into one of the best nights of her life. She had had a heart to heart with her two best friends, and she was finally dating the guy of her dreams. She didn't think anything could get in the way of her happiness that night.

She walked into her house, on cloud nine. She didn't even notice her older brother sitting in the living room, waiting for her. She would have passed right by him if he hadn't made his presence know to her.

"Frankie," he spoke, causing her to jump before realizing who it was. She stopped in her tracks and walked closer to him.

"Oh, hey Miles! Any reason you're sitting in the dark in our living room?" Her voice was the happiest it had been in a long while, and it broke Miles's heart to have to be the bearer of bad news. He sighed before he responded. This had been an emotional night for him too, and he wanted nothing more than to break down, but he knew he had to put up a strong front for his siblings.

"Come sit down with me, Franks. How was the dance?" He asked, trying to open the conversation with an easy question. Frankie was instantly wary, as the Hollingsworths rarely sat down and had real talks.

"Um, it was good. What's going on?"

"Well, you know how there was a lockdown?" Miles decided to just come out with it, putting it off wouldn't do anything but stress the two of them out.

"Yeah, it was just a false alarm. How did you hear about the lockdown? I thought you and Winston went to the movies," Frankie was only more confused.

"I, uh- well, I was actually the one who called it in," he said, looking around, trying to find anything else to stare at but his sister's eyes.

"Why would you call in a lockdown?" She asked, worriedly. Miles sighed before explaining.

"Hunter's been having a rough time lately, you know that, right?" Frankie nodded, not understanding how the two topics were related. "Well, it all sort of caught up to him tonight, and when Winston and I went to check on him, we found a list of names," he paused. "And then I noticed Dad's gun was missing," Frankie gasped, finally piecing it together.

"Hunter...Hunter brought a gun to the dance?" Her eyes were wide and she looked to be on the verge of tears. Miles put an arm around her, pulling her into a side hug. "Was he going to hurt anybody?" Miles thought carefully. Truth be told, neither he nor Hunter knew the answer, but he didn't want to worry his sister even more.

"Frankie. You know he would never hurt you, right? He loves you, so much, even if he doesn't say it. Something is wrong with his mental state, but he'll be okay if he gets the help he needs. I know that it's scary, it's scary for me too, but he's hurting, and we need to be there for him," by this point, Miles was also near tears. He remembered all too well what it felt like to be trapped inside his mind.

"What can I do?" She asked him. She was determined now to help in any way possible.

"You can go talk to him. You're a lot better at the comforting thing than I am. Just- don't bring up what happened tonight. It's not exactly the sort of thing anybody wants paraded around. He didn't even want me to tell you. And don't treat him like he's about to break, okay?"

"I'll go see him. Thanks Miles," Frankie smiled and hugged her brother before getting up and leaving for her twin's room. Miles watched her go before he got up and pulled out his phone. He needed a distraction, and after his conversation with Tristan, he was confident that they were on the path to getting on good terms.

Frankie knocked on Hunter's door. She had went straight to his room, not even bothering to change out of her dress. She had composed herself enough to appear normal, but it didn't stop the worry that had built up inside of her.

"Who is it?" The voice was harsh, and Frankie was taken aback. But she spoke casually.

"It's me, your favorite sister," she could hear the audible sigh from the other side of the door.

"What do you want, Frankenstein?" Frankie took that as her cue to open the door. She was shocked by what she saw. The room was a mess, the mirror shattered, various papers and items flung about. But what shocked her the most was the sight of her brother. His face held a stoic expression, but Frankie could tell just by looking at his eyes that he had many feelings built up that he was trying to repress.

"What, a sister can't visit her darling brother?" Frankie smiled at him, but Hunter saw right through it.

"Miles told you, didn't he? I told him not to tell!" Hunter began to raise his voice, causing Frankie to flinch. It would be a lie to say she wasn't a bit scared. He must have noticed, because when they locked eyes, Hunter immediately silenced himself. "I'm sorry, Frankie. You should go."

"Hunter, it's okay. I won't tell anybody, I promise. I just want to talk to you. We don't have to talk about it if you don't want to," she paused. "But we can. It's up to you," she shrugged, trying to be nonchalant. Hunter stared at her, trying to decide if he should open up. But then again, if there was anybody he could talk to, wouldn't his twin be the best choice?

"I don't know know what I was thinking. I wasn't thinking. All I felt was anger. Anger at Mom, at Yael, at Maya, but mostly at myself," Hunter started to get choked up as he relived the night. "Frankie, what if I'd hurt somebody?" Hunter's eyes watered and tears began to escape from his eyes again. Frankie sat on the bed next to him, grabbing his hand in reassurance. He let his head fall onto her shoulder.

"But Hunter, you _didn't_ hurt anybody. Everybody is safe."

"I pushed Yael," he confessed. "I regretted it as soon as I did but I was angry and upset and she was in my face and-" He paused and removed his head to look up at her. Frankie had never seen her twin like this. "And she called me a sociopath."

"Yael will forgive you, in time. She was probably shocked. But you're not a sociopath, okay?" Hunter didn't reply to her statement but instead asked the question that had been concerning him all night.

"What if I hurt _you?_ " Frankie didn't know how to respond. She couldn't lie and say he'd never lose his temper around her. They lived together, it was very possible.

"It'll be okay. We will figure everything out, as a family. You aren't alone," she pulled her brother in for a hug and said the three words her brother needed to hear the most.

"I'm scared," Hunter admitted quietly. Frankie didn't know what to say, but she said the one thing that would would always be certain.

"I love you, Hunter. No matter what," Hunter hugged her back and buried his head in her shoulders, soaking her shoulder.

"I love you too," he said in between sobs.

Hunter continued to cry in her embrace, and Frankie could only hope for the sake of her twin that things would get better for him from here.

 **Up Next: Control (As requested by Guest)**

 **I am currently taking requests!**


	5. Control

**This was a request from Guest, asking for "Hunter Losing Control." I didn't intend for it to be this long, but I guess you could say I myself lost control.**

 **A warning for very brief violence (and then 4000 words of angst about said violence.**

Frankie was sick of nobody taking charge.

The lives of the Hollingsworth children had shifted dramatically ever since the incident at the Snowball and she didn't like it. Hunter, for the most part, locked himself in his room, staying away from his siblings. When they did see him, the air was awkward as everybody avoided talking about the inevitable.

It was undeniable that Hunter needed professional help. Frankie had thought that Miles would use his power as older brother to make sure that happened, but so far, he hadn't done anything except be overly nice to their troubled brother on the rare occasion he was seen outside of his room.

Frustrated that her twin was in pain, Frankie decided to take matters into her own hands. One night, after she was sure everybody was asleep so as not to be interrupted, she pulled out her laptop and began researching. She started by googling Hunter's symptoms, finding results that fit him to a T.

 _Oppositional Defiant Disorder_

Reading the medical term that appeared on the page more than once made Frankie's heart hurt. It had been hard enough watching Miles struggle through _his_ ordeal, but watching it happen to her twin, the person who had been with her all of her life, felt worse. She couldn't believe she hadn't noticed this sooner.

Frankie knew she wasn't a medical professional, and didn't want to diagnose her brother herself, but she had a pretty clear idea of what was going on. Part of her hoped Google was lying, but the more realistic part knew that Hunter probably suffered from ODD. She read through the web page, being able to relate almost everything to her brother.

 _If left untreated, ODD may result in…_

She could have sworn her heart stopped when she saw the final word on the list.

 _Suicide_

Frankie quickly exited out of the page, not wanting to read any more. But it got her thinking. Hunter had been spending a lot of time isolated. With no technology. What if he was harming himself? She felt sick to her stomach at the prospect, but it motivated her to find more information. She opened up a new tab and typed in what she felt was the next step in her quest.

 _Psychiatric Centers near Toronto, Ontario._

She was pleased to find multiple results, and read through every single one, searching for only the best for her brother. She found one center she really liked, and printed out all the information before going through and highlighting important passages and making small notes. Once she was finished, she put everything into a binder so it was organized for Hunter. She shut her laptop in satisfaction, and placed the binder next to her bed so it would be ready to present to her brother in the morning.

* * *

Frankie woke up the most excited she'd been in weeks, but also the most nervous. She really hoped Hunter was receptive to the ideas she was going to present him. She quickly got changed out of her pyjamas and into clothes before grabbing her binder and practically racing to her twin's room. She knocked on the door eagerly, and was met with a much less enthusiastic response.

"Go away!" He called out through the door. But Frankie would not take no for an answer.

"Hunter! It's me, I want to talk to you," her voice was bright and cheery. She could practically feel Hunter rolling his eyes through the door.

"Fine. But make it quick," she burst through the door and found her sibling sitting in his chair, looking at her expectantly. Her mood shifted a bit to the nervous side once she entered. Hunter's room was still wrecked, and it held a dark aura. But nonetheless, Frankie forged ahead.

"So, I did some research last night, and I found some results that might explain your… well, behavior recently. I don't know anything for certain, but I think something really serious is going on. It's called ODD, and I printed out some info on it," she opened the binder and showed him a section of text she'd highlighted. "It's not your fault, it's a mental disorder-" he cut her off.

"Why are you doing this?" His tone was a harsh one that she'd never heard from him before. She was a bit taken aback.

"I care about you, Hunter. I don't want you to suffer anymore!" She said, almost confused. Wasn't it obvious?

"You don't know anything about me. Just because we're twins? That doesn't mean a thing to me," he began to raise his voice, but Frankie stood her ground. She was hurt by his words, but this wasn't about her.

"Hunter, please just listen. I know change can be frightening but I really think going to a psychiatric center would do wonders for you. I found a really great one not far from here, we could visit you all the time, and-" he once again refused to let her finish.

"I _don't_ need to go to a psych ward. I am _fine,_ why can't you see that? People get angry, Frankie, it happens. You think I'm a sociopath too, I bet. Just like my so called friends. I thought I had my family, but it's clear you don't care about me at all," she tried to reason with him, but his temper increased with every passing second. He took the binder out of her hands and began to rip out pages.

"No, Hunter, I don't think that at all, I love you, I just want what's best for you!"

"No you don't. You just want me out of the picture so you don't have to tell your friends about your 'weird twin brother who brought a gun to school,'" by this point, he was almost yelling. Frankie had tears rolling down her eyes but Hunter didn't care. "Don't act like you're any better than me. We've been through the same stuff, we are a broken family. You are _broken_ , Frankie, and you don't want to admit it, so you're pretending everything is fine with you and that I'm the crazy one. I'm _not_ crazy!" Frankie backed away and tried to reason with her brother again, even through her tears.

"I want you to be okay! You're hurting now, but if you go to this center, they can help you, you'll feel so much better! This center is one of the best in the country, you'll be in good hands!"

Hunter had heard enough and in a fit of anger, threw the binder at Frankie, successfully hitting her in the head. The impact threw off her balance, causing her to hit her head against the wall before falling to the floor in pain. Hunter immediately regretted his actions, and stepped towards her, the anger replaced by concern.

"Frankie? Frankie, I am so sorry, I didn't mean to-"

"Please don't hurt me," her words rung in the air, with one being unspoken.

 _Again_

The room was silent, save for Frankie quiet sobs that pierced Hunter's ears. He hadn't meant to hurt her, honest. He just got caught up in the moment.

"What the hell is going on in here? I heard yelling and-" Miles stumbled in, clearly awaken from his slumber. He stopped dead in his tracks when he saw the scene laying in front of him. His little brother staring wide eyed at their sister, who was crying and holding her head on the floor. Miles kneeled down next to her. "Frankie? Why are you crying? What happened?" He looked at her before directing his attention to Hunter, waiting for one of them to give him an answer.

"It was nothing. Um, Hunter and I just got into a little argument," Frankie said. Despite the fact he had just gotten violent with her, Frankie still didn't want to give Hunter up, but Miles didn't believe her for a second.

"Frankie Hollingsworth, I need you to answer honestly, even if you don't want to, okay?" She nodded. "Did Hunter hurt you?"

She stared straight at Hunter, eyes still wide. She was trying not to be afraid of him, but it was hard. His eyes were red and watery, but they held none of the anger that had been present just a few minutes before. She felt strange. Dizzy. _What was the question?_ She was about to answer Miles, but Hunter spoke up first.

"I threw the binder at her," his voice was quiet. Miles looked at him and sighed. It put him in a difficult position. He knew Hunter was unstable, but it didn't change the fact that he had caused harm to another person, and his sibling at that.

Miles extended his hand to help said sibling up, and when the pair stood, Miles put his arms around her, in an attempt to not only comfort, but to protect as well. She leaned against him. He focused his attention back on Hunter.

"Why would you throw a binder at her?"

"She was telling me I need to 'seek help,' and she did all this research and practically shoved in my face that I'm crazy!" He pleaded with Miles.

"So you hurt your _twin sister_ because she cares about you?" Hunter fell silent again. When he finally came up with something to say, he turned to Frankie, taking a step closer to her.

"Frankie, I'm sorry, I really am, I just- you were pointing out what was wrong with me and-" Miles pulled her back as a precaution.

"Listen, I think it's best if we go. I'm going to check out her head, see if there's any damage. But this isn't over. I'll be back, okay? We _are_ going to talk about it," Hunter nodded numbly as Miles led her out of the room, asking her how she was feeling, to which she replied ' _tired.'_

Hunter closed the door and sank to the floor, sitting in the same position his sister had been in only moments ago.

It was only then that he allowed tears of his own to fall.

* * *

Miles led Frankie to his room, instructing her to sit on the edge of his bed. He crouched down so he was at her level.

"Frankie, what happened with Hunter?" Frankie furrowed her brows, trying to remember.

"We had an altercation. I don't think he liked the idea of getting help for his anger."

"Do you remember any details?" Miles asked. This was looking worse by the second, and Miles feared they'd be taking a trip to Urgent Care.

"I don't know. He threw my binder at me and yelled a lot," she shrugged. "Hey, Miles? Do you mind if I take a nap here? I'm really tired and I don't think I can make it to my room," Frankie's eyes were fighting to stay open.

Miles was trying not to panic for the sake of his sister. Their mom was away for the weekend, leaving Miles in charge. Miles kept his voice level as he spoke.

"Frankie, I'm sorry, but you can't take a nap. You need to stay awake, okay? We're going to go for a ride to the Urgent Care Center. They're going to check out your head and see if you have a concussion."

"Okay. What about Hunter?" Miles was confused, chalking it up to her being out of it.

"Hunter? What about him?"

"We can't leave him here alone."

' _Shit,'_ Miles thought. ' _She's right.'_

"I guess we'll have to take him with us," he sighed. "I need to get dressed, and then we'll go," because he had been woken up by the encounter, he was still in a tank top and boxers. He quickly grabbed a button down and pants, running into the bathroom and changing in record time. When he returned, he saw Frankie lying on the bed, eyes closed. He very gently tapped her arm.

"Frankie, you can't fall asleep. Come on, we're going now," instead of getting up, she held her hands out to him, silently begging him to carry her, something he hadn't done in years. Despite the circumstances, he smiled fondly before obliging to her request.

* * *

Hunter was freely crying within minutes. He thought that hurting Yael was the worst feeling he could have, but he learned the hard way how wrong he was. On top of that, the encounter reminded him scarily of the time his dad had thrown a mug at Miles, which almost hit Hunter. The big difference being, his father missed. He had not.

He eyed the binder that was still sitting on the floor and grabbed it. He had ripped out some pages, but most of them remained in tact. He skimmed through the research his sister had done.

Maybe she had a point…

"Hunter?" Miles knocked on the door. Hunter wiped the tears from his eyes and opened the door. He was a bit taken aback when he saw his brother carrying Frankie, but he didn't comment on it.

"Yeah?"

"You need to come with us to Urgent Care. You aren't staying here alone," Hunter knew he was in no position to argue, since the whole thing was his fault in the first place. He followed his brother, binder still tucked securely under his arm.

When they got to Miles's car, Hunter opened the door to the back, allowing Miles to set Frankie down gently. When he was sure she was secure, he turned to Hunter.

"Listen, I know things are weird right now, but I need you to do something really important," Hunter nodded, waiting for further instructions. "I need you to sit back here with her and make sure she stays awake, so I can focus on driving safely."

"How do I do that?" Hunter was still a bit scared to be near her, but if it would help her, he'd give it his all. Maybe it would help prove how sorry he was to them.

"Ask her questions. Keep her engaged in conversation. Just don't let her fall asleep."

"Okay," he said, getting into the back with her. Frankie lied her head in Hunter's lap.

Once Miles was satisfied, he took his place in the driver's seat, starting the engine and beginning their journey.

Hunter wasn't sure what questions to ask her, but he figured he'd start with the basics.

"Um, what's your name?" He felt stupid asking, obviously he knew her name, but he supposed it was better than her falling asleep.

"Francesca Hollingsworth, but everybody calls me Frankie."

"What's my name?"

"Hunter Hollingsworth."

"What is our relationship?"

"We're twins!"

"Yeah, we are," he smiled sadly. "Do we have any other siblings?"

"Miles."

"What school do you go to?"

"Degrassi."

"When's your birthday?" She giggled a bit at this.

"Hunter, we have the same birthday. You should know the answer to _at least_ this question," he couldn't help it, he laughed too.

"Hey, I know the answer. Do you?"

"July 21," Hunter was pleased to see she was a bit more awake now.

"Alright alright, you know your facts. Now tell me, how are Shay and Lola?" He changed the topic, and Frankie's smile widened as she went on and on about the latest drama with them.

Miles looked at them through the rearview mirror and smiled. He was glad to see Hunter feeling at least somewhat better. While he hated that somebody had to get hurt, perhaps Frankie's injury would be the push Hunter needed in admitting there was a problem.

* * *

The wait at Urgent Care was surprisingly short, and within minutes, Frankie was seated in a medical room while the doctor asked her a lot of questions, many of them similar to the ones Hunter had asked. Miles and Hunter sat in the guest chairs on the side of the room, out of the way from the doctor. Both brothers were watching the examination like a hawk. Towards the end, he asked a question all three siblings knew was coming, but didn't want to answer.

"Can you tell me how you hit your head?" Hunter's eyes widened in fear. They had to tell the truth, but what if they separated him from his family, from _her?_

"Her and her brother got into an argument that escalated a bit quickly," Miles answered. It wasn't _exactly_ a lie, and the doctor didn't question any further, assuming it was just sibling rivalry.

"It appears that she just has a mild concussion. She'll be okay, and she should be back to normal within a week or two. Just make sure she gets plenty of rest and takes it easy for a while. We'd like to see her back in two weeks to make sure she's clear," Miles listened to all the information and made a follow up. He gave the receptionist the Hollingsworth's billing information, and the three siblings left for home.

* * *

When they arrived home, Frankie announced that she was going to take a much needed nap, and retired to her room to do so. Hunter was about to follow suit, but was stopped by his older brother.

"Hunter," he called to him. Hunter saw him looking at him expectantly. He knew what was coming.

"I don't want to talk about it," he mumbled. He'd already been through enough today, hadn't he?

"Yeah, well that's too bad. Sit down," he spoke firmly, and Hunter listened, sitting on the living room couch next to him. Miles turned to face his little brother. "Hunter, I'm not mad at you. I'm mad that Frankie's hurt, but I'm not mad _at you_. But I do want to know your perspective on the incident."

"I don't know. It happened so fast. She came in and had this binder and went off about how she found a psych ward for me and how I needed help, and I got scared, I guess? She talked about a mental disorder, and it got to be too much. Before I knew it, I was accusing her of not caring about me, and the anger built up until I threw it at her," Miles listened to him and prodded him to tell more.

"How did you feel after you threw it?"

"I felt awful. I knew as soon as it left my hand that it was wrong. Seeing her hurt sucks, but knowing _I_ was the cause is even worse. And then I thought about Dad. She was _afraid of_ _me_. Just like we were of Dad. He threw that mug in anger, just like I threw the binder. Miles, I _don't_ want to be like Dad."

"Well, you're the only person who can make sure that doesn't happen," Miles paused before continuing. "Do you remember what I was like, not too long ago?" Hunter nodded. "You don't want that to happen to you, I promise. It was awful. I was reckless, I destroyed relationships with people who genuinely cared about me. Friendships, romances, even my relationship with you and Frankie was strained for a long time. You know that intervention you two, Tris, and Chewy held for me?"

"The one where you freaked out at Frankie and Tristan? Yeah, I remember."

"I didn't want to believe I had a problem, and I lashed out at people in anger. People who wanted to help me. Sound familiar?"

"But I don't need help! I don't need to spend time anywhere else!" Hunter's voice was raised, but not threatening.

"Then why do you still have that binder?" Miles asked him. Hunter opened his mouth to answer, but couldn't come up with a reason. "Listen, Hunter, for what it's worth, I think you'd be a lot happier in the long run if you gave this place a try. It looks like Frankie's done her research"

"What if you guys forget about me? Or decide you're better off without me?"

"Hunter, we would never forget about you. We're family. We aren't going to just abandon you when times get hard," there was a short silence before he continued. "You know, sometimes one of the bravest things one can do is seek help,"

Hunter looked down at the binder and back at Miles.

"Do you think she's mad at me?"

"I'm sure she's not thrilled, but she won't hold it against you. She adores you. Plus, now _we_ get to wait on her hand and foot, which I'm _sure_ she won't complain about," Hunter smiled a bit at that. He was right.

"Thanks, Miles," he said. His brother replied by pulling him into a hug.

"I'm going to go check on our darling sister," he motioned to the binder. "Really think about what she had to say. She wouldn't have put so much effort into it if she didn't care."

Miles exited the room. Hunter waited a few minutes before doing the same, heading to his room so he could read her notes without interruption.

* * *

The next morning, Frankie heard a knock on her door.

"Come in," she said, groggily. The door opened and Hunter walked in, carrying a tray with various breakfast foods on it.

"Good morning. I made you breakfast. I wasn't sure what you'd want so I brought a bit of everything. Did I wake you? I can come back later if you want to keep sleeping," he rambled, obviously nervous.

"No, you're okay. My sleeping schedule is messed up anyway. Here, come sit," she sat up, allowing room for Hunter. He placed the tray in between them. Once they were situated, Hunter began apologizing.

"Frankie, I'm sorry. I know sorry doesn't fix your head, but I am. Hurting you is the last thing I ever want to do," he spoke truthfully.

"I forgive you, Hunter. I'm sorry too. I know ambushing you in the morning probably wasn't the best idea," she smiled.

"Don't apologize. You have _nothing_ to be sorry for. I'm the one who got physical."

"Please don't beat yourself up over it. It happened, we can't change that. Besides, I don't hold it against you," Hunter sighed, working up the courage to tell his sister his primary reason for visiting.

"I don't want anything like this to happen again. I don't want anybody to suffer at my hands, especially the people I care most about," he began. "You left those notes in my room yesterday. And I looked them over. You clearly put a lot of thought into it. I'm sorry I said you didn't care about me. I was just saying things to make you upset."

"Hunter, I know you didn't mean any of it. I get it."

"I really didn't. But I talked to Miles. He told me about how he felt when he was at his worst. I don't want that to happen to me. So after a lot of thought, I've decided that checking out that center...might not be the worst idea," Frankie's eyes widened and she excitedly pulled Hunter in for a quick hug.

"Really? You'll consider it?" He smiled seeing Frankie so excited for him.

"When Mom gets home, I'm going to tell her everything. I want to get better."

"I'm so happy for you. I really think this is a good idea."

"Yeah, I hope so. Thanks for being the push I needed to see the light. Now come on, your breakfast is going to get cold," he said. She looked at the large tray of food and picked up a piece of toast, holding it out to him.

"Well, I certainly can't finish this by myself. Care to join me?"

Hunter took the toast and smiled.

 **I was going to end it on a sad note, but I just couldn't.**

 **Also Miles has been prominently featured in the last 3 chapters, so I think he'll be out of focus for a while. I'm also going to try to keep the next few chapters more lighthearted.**

 **To everybody who has left a request: I am working on them and they will be up shortly. I'm having a lot of fun with them :)**

 **Thank you to everybody who has read, reviewed, favored, or following this story. I appreciate it very much.**

 **Next Up: Dress**


	6. Fire

**Summary: A look into Hunter's head as Frankie is trapped inside the burning building in Firestarter (2).**

Hunter had a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach from the moment he'd woken up, but he passed it off as simply having had too much caffeine before going to bed the previous night. He knew it was bad for him, but it didn't mean he was going to stop. After all, he was an online hero and he wasn't going to let something as meaningless as sleep stop him. Besides, the feeling would probably stop once he got up and around.

The feeling didn't get any better.

"Frankie?" Hunter knocked on the door to his sister's room, somewhat annoyed. He knew she was sleeping at her grandparents but their dad had given her strict orders to be home early in the morning so she could do the press conference.

Hunter felt bad that she was being made to take the blame for the cheerleading scandal, but he wished she would just get it over with. The sooner it was taken care of, the sooner their dad would let it go- hopefully. For once, it wasn't Miles in trouble, and it made him uncomfortable quite frankly. He didn't like seeing his sister become the black sheep of the family, and it made him just a bit nervous that one little screw up and he would be next.

He sighed when he received no response from Frankie's room. Of course she wasn't home yet, which would leave Hunter to deal with the fallout. Their father would tell him that the benefit of being twins is that he should be able to keep her in line, and Hunter wouldn't be able to do anything but apologize for his sister and assure his dad that he was doing a great job and would still win the election.

It was unlikely, but maybe Miles would know where she was.

* * *

Hunter stood at his locker in a state of shock after the incident that had occurred with his father. He couldn't believe that his dad had not only _hit Miles,_ but had _thrown a mug_. Hunter wasn't sure if he had intended to hit anybody, but he had, and Hunter had the cut on his face to prove it.

Part of him wanted to be mad at his sister for not showing up on time, but a bigger part of him was glad she didn't. Sure, maybe if she had been there Miles and their father wouldn't have gotten into an argument, but it was also entirely possible that they would have. And this time, _she_ would have been caught in the crossfire. Hunter knew Frankie wouldn't have backed down, and Hunter worried that when she saw their father next, there would be consequences.

Why hadn't he stuck up for her? He let Miles do all the talking, all the defending, while he stood there, completely useless. He had been too afraid to speak up on her behalf, even though he knew she would have done all she could for him had the roles been reversed. What kind of a brother was he? Miles and Frankie weren't nearly as close as he was to her, it _should_ have been Hunter standing up for her. Clearly he didn't learn his lesson the first time around, because he didn't defend Miles to their mother either. Miles did everything he could to make sure he and his sister were taken care of, and Hunter didn't even have the common decency to at least confirm that Miles had been hit.

"Hunter? What's on your face?" He was pulled back to reality by Frankie, who had appeared at her locker, right next to his. He had been so caught up in his thoughts that he hadn't noticed her.

"Well look who decided to make an appearance. Why didn't you come home this morning?" He ignored her question.

"You know why. I'm not telling everybody I did something that I'm not at fault for."

"You know you're going to have to face it eventually. The sooner the better, you know how stressed Dad can get," she didn't know the half of it.

"I have a plan. If all goes well, my name should be removed from the scandal by the end of the day," she smirked. Hunter had no idea what she was talking about, but he didn't get a chance to ask, as Frankie restated her original question. "Seriously though, how did you get that scratch on your face?"

"Oh this? I got it last night. I wasn't paying attention to where I was going and ran into the edge of a door. You know me, head always in a device," Hunter debated telling her the whole story. Their dad getting angry that she wasn't home, Miles yelling at him for being a bad father, the mug incident, all of it. But he couldn't. He didn't want her image of him to be tainted like it was for him. If she could fix the whole incident like she claimed, Dad would be proud of her. He'd go back to how he was before. And Frankie would never know the difference.

"You really should put those things down when you're walking," Frankie didn't really look like she believed him, but she didn't press on the matter. "I've got to go, but I'll see you later, okay?" She said, closing her locker as she began to walk away.

The pain in the pit of Hunter's stomach hadn't gotten any better.

* * *

Hunter's stomach lurched as he watched those stupid cheerleaders do their routine. He had no idea why it hurt so much, but he wished it would go away. His theory about too much caffeine had been proven false, leaving Hunter to wonder what it could be causing this. He had no other symptoms, and he didn't feel _sick,_ just on edge. Was he still mulling over the mug incident? Was he angry about watching the cheerleaders knowing what they did to Frankie?

Speaking of Frankie, where was she? Hunter had scanned the gym multiple times, but she was nowhere to be found. He knew watching the cheerleaders may have been a bit of a sore spot, but skipping the whole pep rally? That wasn't like her. It didn't help his uneasiness, not knowing where she was.

It was then that Hunter saw the smoke.

Everybody else had been so focused on watching the show that they hadn't noticed. But Hunter did, and he rushed out of the gym before the fire alarm had even began to ring out. He was just about the exit the building and get to safety when he remembered.

 _Frankie._

He turned around, breaking into a full blown sprint as he rushed down the hall, screaming his sister's name.

Every second felt like a minute, every minute like an hour, until he saw Miles. By then, the whole school had figured out what was going on, and even though Hunter was constantly searching the crowd, he couldn't find the familiar face he'd known his whole life. He felt a moment of relief, knowing at least one sibling was safe. But it still begged the question of where Frankie was. Miles would know, right? He ran up to Miles, feeling a sense of safety as he grabbed his jacket.

"You're okay! But- Frankie!"

"What about her?" Miles asked in concern as he stopped dead in his tracks.

"She's- she's still in the school."

"Where?"

"I- I don't know!"

Miles had no problems turning around as he helped Hunter look, even asking Shay and Lola. Hunter wanted to yell at them for not knowing, for not being better friends, but it wouldn't solve anything. Once they had gotten a negative answer, the boys continued their search. Maya had left them at some point, probably turning back to leave the building. Fine by Hunter. What did she care? Had she even ever spoken to Frankie?

"Hunter, go outside, the smoke isn't good for you," Miles pleaded with him. Hunter looked at him like he was crazy as they fought past the various bodies still filing out.

"No way- I'm not leaving you alone, and I'm not going until we find Frankie!" Hunter protested.

"Are you sure she's in here? I looked for her earlier and couldn't find her."

"Yes, she was here this morning. We have to keep looking," Hunter was getting frantic as he practically screamed her name. Unfortunately, their search was cut short by a teacher stopping them, putting his arms out so they couldn't pass.

"You two need to get out of here, _now!_ "

"You don't understand sir, it's our sister, she's somewhere in the building, we have to find her," Miles told him urgently, trying to move past, to no avail. The teacher was much bigger than Miles, easily holding him back.

"Do you know she's inside for sure? It's possible that you just didn't see her," Hunter intervened, speaking quickly. Every second standing here was another second without Frankie.

"Yes, she's inside, I _know_ she is!"

"Listen, the fire department is on their way. I understand that you're worried, but they'll do everything they can to find her. In the meantime, you need to evacuate the building," The brothers knew there was nothing they could do now, so they reluctantly turned around, Miles holding on to Hunter's hand the whole time.

* * *

Once they were outside, they secluded themselves, finding a spot away from as many people as possible while also standing as close to the door as they could. It was simply a waiting game now.

"What if- what if they don't find her?" Hunter asked softly. The school was so big. What if the firemen forgot to check whatever room she was in? Or what if she was already burning alive, screaming for her brothers to help her? The thought sickened Hunter. Miles put his arm around his younger sibling, trying to comfort him in some way.

"They will. They know she's in there, they're going to find her," Miles reassured him. Hunter simply nodded, not knowing what else to say. He remembered this morning, when his biggest issue was trying to figure out why his stomach felt uneasy. He still hadn't figured it out, and the pain was stronger than ever. Was that really just this morning? It felt so long ago.

The minutes dragged on and on, with both brothers getting increasingly anxious. Hunter desperately wanted to run into the school to find her. They were twins (they _are_ twins, he reminds himself), they had a connection. If he'd had more time, he would have found her, he knows he would have. He had half a mind to make a run for it and try to get into the school and find Frankie. He knew he could do it better than anybody inside currently, but Miles's firm grip on his shoulder reminded him that it would be pointless.

* * *

After ten minutes, Hunter really started to lose it. His damn stomach felt like it was being stabbed, and he was shaking, Miles's arms being the only thing to keep him grounded. He alternated between checking his watch and the doors, as if by some miracle staring would get her rescued any faster.

She should be out by now, unless- he stopped himself. She was alive, he knew she was. He would feel something if she was, well, not, right? People always talked about twins having some sort of power. Frankie had believed in that kind of thing from day one, swearing up and down that she could feel when Hunter was in pain. Hunter on the other hand had always dismissed it, calling it stupid and fake. But right now, Hunter would believe anything to cling onto the hope that Frankie was still in there, still safe.

* * *

 _Finally,_ after what felt like an eternity, Frankie emerged from the building. Hunter recognized her right away, and practically hit Miles as he spoke.

"There she is! Frankie!" He called as the brothers raced to her, yelling her name. They pushed through the crowd that had formed, Miles leading and Hunter just a beat behind him. They finally reached her, Miles engulfing her into a hug. Hunter followed suit, wrapping his arms around both his siblings. No words could express how relieved he was. He could practically feel the tension leave his body as he stood with his brother and sister, both safe and sound.

"Frankie. You're okay. _You're okay._ I'm so sorry, " Miles, taking over a parental role, took a moment to let her know they were glad she was alive before addressing the next step in the process, making sure she had suffered no damage.

"Let's go get you checked out, come on."

Hunter took a good look at her as he pulled away from the embrace, noting how the smoke had altered her appearance. Her skin was tainted with ash and her clothes and hair messed up and charred. She was holding onto an almost black cloth that she had obviously used to breathe in to. She looked disheveled, something Hunter wasn't used to seeing when it came to Frankie. She was always very well kept, maintaining a perfect appearance. But now, standing in front of her family, she showed a vulnerability Hunter hadn't seen in years.

Hunter and Miles, refusing to let go of her, rushed Frankie over to the EMTs to be checked for any damage. They wanted to stand with her as she was looked over, but they were asked to stay back, to give her space. Hunter wanted to argue that they'd been separated long enough, but realistically, he knew that the EMTs would be able to work more efficiently without him looming over them.

* * *

"I've been cleared. We can go," Frankie smiled as she walked back to them. Hunter was relieved to hear that her voice hadn't been affected by the smoke inhalation. The three siblings put their arms around each other and walked away from the scene. Finally, the ordeal was over, and they could just _go home._

Until Hunter saw _him._

Who the hell called their father? Just when things were okay, he had to show up. The mood immediately went down as the brothers slowly let Frankie go. She walked up to him cautiously, giving him a hug. Maybe things would be okay, Hunter reasoned. That was, until he opened his mouth.

"Let's go home. I assume we've had enough bailing on responsibilities for one day," he said it with a smile on his face, but it was the kind he used in press conferences. The smile that was reserved for political events. Hunter clenched his fists, but refrained from saying anything just yet. He could hear the hurt in her voice, and became increasingly angry at his dad brushing her off as if _she_ was in the wrong. But there was one sentence is particular that tore his heart open as she spoke it in an almost defeated voice.

 _"Dad, I nearly died."_

Hunter knew he couldn't let him get away with this. How could he just ignore how close Frankie had been to death? Hunter rarely cried, but he swore when he was waiting for her to emerge from the burning building he nearly broke down into tears at the thought of being without his twin.

"He only cares about himself," Miles said, no emotion in his voice.

It was time for Hunter to step up, to do what he should have done from the beginning. It was now or never. He barely heard his father chastising Miles, instead working up the courage to stand with his brother despite the knot in his stomach.

"But it's true though," Hunter was surprised as the words left his mouth, but it felt so good to speak up, to feel like what he was saying mattered.

"Hunter!" Their dad was obviously surprised, as Hunter kept quiet and to himself, never wanting conflict. But when something as important as his family was on the line, Hunter knew he needed to do everything he could. He wanted _so badly_ to shield Frankie from what had happened, but she needed to know, needed to know what they were dealing with. And coming from him, he knew she would believe him.

" _I saw him hit Miles,"_ it felt like a weight had been lifted off of his shoulder. He was finally doing what Miles had done for years. _Taking a stand._

Frankie looked horrified as she turned to them, as if she couldn't believe he would do something as serious as hit his child. To be fair, until that morning, Hunter thought the same thing.

"He hit you?"

"It was a heated moment," Once again, his dad tried to defend himself, tried to make Miles look like the bad guy, but Hunter wasn't having it. This felt good, finally speaking up.

"Not that heated."

Frankie was rightfully distressed, and Hunter was pleased to see her take a step back, standing with her brothers as the three flat out told their father they wouldn't go home with him. Hunter worried as he raised his voice that maybe their father would lose his temper and lash out again, But taking one look around was all Mr. Hollingsworth needed to calm himself down. They were in public. If he laid a hand on any of them, he would lose the election for sure. And all three siblings knew now just how important the election was to him.

Finally, he left, and for once, the Hollingsworth children had won. It may have been a small victory, but it was only the first step.

Hunter and Miles, almost simultaneously, leaned into Frankie as they stood there in a three person hug. Miles kissed the top of her head, while Hunter rested his on hers.

"It's going to be okay," Miles assured them, and Hunter nodded. It would be, as long as they stuck together. How could he have ever thought Miles was the bad guy? He had been blindsided, just as his sister had, just as their mother had, and just as the whole town had.

Miles looked over his shoulder and pulled away to go speak to Maya. Part of Hunter thought it was also to give him time to talk to Frankie one on one about the day's events. As soon as he was gone, he pulled her into a real hug, holding her close as he expressed all the emotion that their father had not.

"I'm so glad you're okay, Frankie. I was really worried about you," he told her. She buried her head into his shoulder as they embraced. Hunter had thought that he'd never get to do this again. After a moment, they pulled back, but still stayed in close proximity. Frankie's eyes were once again drawn to the mark on Hunter's cheek and she had to ask again, knowing, but fearing the answer.

"Hunter- did he do that to you?" She asked softly. He didn't want to tell her but he couldn't lie either.

"He threw a mug. Not at me, but I happened to be in the right place at the right time," he said nonchalantly. "I'm okay, I promise."

"There's nothing okay about that," she traced the scratch lightly with her finger, confirming how real it was. "That can't happen again. Not to you or Miles."

"It's not going to happen to you either," he said simply. "Don't worry, we'll be alright. We just need to be careful until we figure something out."

The twins smiled at each other, sharing one last moment before Miles left Maya to return to them. While the fire had been devastating, and had caused a lot of anguish and concern, in the end, it brought them closer together.

Hunter noticed as he walked away from the school, arms around his brother and sister, that his stomach no longer hurt.

 **A/N: Yikes, it's been a long time! I'm sorry I've been slow on updating. I tried to write "Dress," but I was never satisfied with it. Eventually I decided to give it a break and work on something else. Maybe someday I'll go back to it.**

 **I know I also promised that Miles would be out of focus for the next few chapters, but he was kind of necessary for this chapter. I did, however, try to keep this focused at its core, about Hunter and Frankie.**

 **I'm thinking next up will be either "Nightmare," "Baaz" (Alternatively called "Date"), or "Scandal."**

 **Thanks to everybody who has read, reviewed, favored, or followed this story! If you have any requests, I'd love to hear them!**


	7. Nightmare

**Nightmare**

 **Summary: Frankie fulfills a promise she made to Hunter when they were younger.**

 **Just to clear up some potential confusion: The italicized section is a flashback to when the twins were younger, about 5 or 6.**

 **Also potential trigger warning for guns ahead. This takes place sometime after #Sorrynotsorry and deals with themes from that episode.**

 _Frankie woke up suddenly, breathing heavily. She was soaked with sweat and tears. Her form shook as she laid alone in her bed, sobbing. She was scared and alone. She felt so small in the huge bedroom she had all to herself. Frankie couldn't even remember what the dream had been about, but it had been bad enough that she knew she wouldn't be able to fall back asleep. She looked at the clock next to her bed. It had been a gift from her parents when she learned to tell time a couple months ago._

 _2:36 AM._

 _Frankie counted on her fingers, reasoning that she still had anywhere between four to five hours of sleep left. The only problem being there was no way she could fall asleep, she was too scared. All she wanted was a hug and reassurance that it was just a dream._

 _She closed her eyes, telling herself that she could do this as she tried to stop her tears. She was mature for her age, something stupid like a nightmare wasn't about to stop her. Nothing could stop Francesca Diana Hollingsworth._

 _2:38 AM._

 _Frankie sighed as she tossed back the covers. She wanted to go back to sleep, but she just didn't feel safe. No matter how many times she told herself she was okay, she needed to hear it from someone else. There was one place where she always felt safe. She just hoped he wouldn't be mad at her._

 _Frankie opened the door quietly, creeping from one room to another. Luckily all the of the kids had their rooms right next to each other. She didn't bother knocking, instead choosing to walk in, careful not to scare him awake. She tiptoed over to his bed, where he was soundly asleep. Frankie felt bad about waking him up, but she needed him._

" _Hunter?" She shook his shoulder gently. He didn't stir at first, so she tried again. "Hunter?"_

 _He opened his eyes slowly, swatting her hand away from him._

" _What are you doing Frankie? It's the middle of the night and we have school tomorrow," he groaned, rubbing his eyes._

" _I had a bad dream," she said, her eyes wide. Her voice was pitiful, and she spoke softly._

" _So? Why are you telling me?"_

" _I just- can I sleep with you? Please?" She asked. Hunter didn't look pleased with her in the slightest._

" _Why don't you ask Mom and Dad? Or Miles?"_

" _Because I don't want to make Daddy angry. And you can't tell him, but you're a better cuddler than Miles. It could be like a sleepover," she pleaded. He was pretty much awake by now, and took a good look at her. She was so small, and the tear marks on her face only served to make her look smaller. It was honestly kind of a sad sight, but, she_ was _his sister, it was his job to take care of her. He sighed and moved over, leaving room for her to scoot in next to him._

" _Just this once, okay? And you better not kick!" He told her matter of factly, even though he knew it would probably happen more than once. Frankie's face lit up as she lied next to him, pulling him into a quick hug._

" _Thank you Hunter! You're the best brother ever! I promise if you_ ever _have a bad dream, you can wake me up no matter what, deal?"_

" _Yeah, whatever. Goodnight, Franks."_

" _Goodnight Hunter. I love you," she said as she closed her eyes._

" _Love you too," he mumbled, throwing an arm around her to reassure her he was there. Within a few minutes, the twins were sleeping just as soundly as before._

* * *

Flash forward 10 years, and Hunter was very used to not sleeping at night. He was always so plagued by the thoughts he didn't dare tell anybody else. Sometimes they'd keep him up until the early hours of the morning, other times they'd wake him from any slumber he could manage to get. But tonight had been different. Everything was so _vivid._ He could remember every little detail perfectly.

* * *

He entered the school, holding his bag tightly against himself. Nobody could know what was inside...yet. He scoped out the area, finding all of his targets with ease. He took a deep breath in, mentally preparing himself. He was _sick_ of being _screwed over_ by everybody. For once, Hunter Hollingsworth was going to get his revenge. To some, maybe he was being extreme. But Hunter knew, people never changed. They'd only continue to reject him, to scare him, to threaten him. He was going to make damn sure that never happened again.

And that was when the lockdown was called in.

Hunter's eyes widened. Did somebody know? How could they, he'd had yet to reveal the bag's contents. He took a deep breath in. Maybe this could work in his favor.

He followed the sound of Tristan's voice, ushering him inside the student council room. He played along, sitting against the wall as more people entered. Tristan soon closed the door and sat down, allowing Hunter to survey the area. Tristan, Maya, and Zig were huddled together, Maya and Zig's tension seemingly forgotten for the time being. The three tried to put on a brave face so as to not scare the younger students. Goldi and Baaz were grasping hands, Goldi reassuring him quietly that everything would be okay. Hunter couldn't help but roll his eyes. Like Baaz gave a shit about his sister. Sitting on the other side of Baaz was Vijay, who had one arm around Yael and the other grasping Baaz. Yael leaned her head on Vijay's shoulder. The two had always had an interesting friendship. However, his targets weren't the only ones in the room. Hunter sighed as he saw who else had managed to get inside the student council office.

Frankie, Shay, and Lola were sitting, together, yet somewhat distant. It was obvious that there was tension between the three, but Hunter didn't care. Nobody was going to stop him, not even his dumb sister.

Everybody was relatively quiet, the only sounds being the light chatter among the small groups. Hunter looked around, waiting until the perfect moment to reveal his intentions. He couldn't wait too long or he would be caught. He scoped the room one more time before deciding he was ready. He stood up, reaching inside his bag.

"Hunter, what are you doing? _Sit down!_ " Tristan hissed at him, moving to stand up.

"No, you sit down!" he said back venomously. He pulled out the gun, showing it to everybody before pointing it at Tristan, who sat down in shock.. There were gasps heard around the room as everybody got a good look at the weapon. He was nervous, terrified in fact, but he couldn't let it show. For once, he was in control.

He stared each and every person dead in the eye. He felt a bit of remorse, but it was too late.

"Hunter, man, you don't need to do this, we're you're friends," Baaz spoke up, causing Hunter to point the weapon at him.

"You're not my friends. You're just like everyone else. You'd sacrifice your own sister just to save your skin, wouldn't you?" He asked, shifting his aim to Goldi. Baaz glared at him, slowly moving in front of her, pulling Vijay and Yael closer. Baaz had always wanted to be the hero.

"Hunter. This is crazy. _You're_ crazy. I can't believe I ever thought I liked you," Yael spoke up, looking at him with pure hatred. Hunter was about to retaliate, to yell at her, but another voice interrupted him.

"Just put the gun away, please. We're sorry!" His focus was averted to Zigmund, who was obviously trying to shield Maya and Tristan.

"You're not sorry. You're only saying that so I don't blow your brains out," Hunter shook his head in disgust. Zig shook his head, and Hunter relished in finally having the upper hand.

"Hunter, where did you even get that?" His sister finally spoke up, the fear evident in her voice.

"None of your freaking business. Just sit down, shut up, and you'll be fine," he said. He put the gun at his side as he faced her. He had no anger towards her, there was no reason to hurt her. Unless she got in his way

"You can't do this. You don't want to this, Hunter, I know you. I've known you your whole life, _my_ whole life. This isn't you," she pleaded with him, standing up. She was much shorter, but it didn't matter to her. She met his eyes, and Hunter wanted to believe her. But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't.

"You don't know anything. You don't even like me, I'm just your weird twin brother. If we weren't related, we'd have nothing to do with each other," he told her.

"That's not true and you know it. Please, just put the gun away and we can go home, and read comics, or play video games, or whatever you want," she promised. But Hunter wasn't having it.

"Stop lying. You don't mean any of that. Listen to me. Just sit down, close your eyes, keep your mouth shut, and it'll be over soon," he gave her one last chance, but she didn't listen.

"Hunter. _Give me the gun._ " She held out her hand, and for a moment, it seemed as if he was going to listen. He extended his hand out, but instead of handing her the gun, he pointed it at her. There were gasps heard throughout the room as Frankie's eyes widened. Would Hunter go there? Would he shoot _his own sibling?_

"I'm giving you one last chance, Frankie. Sit. Down."

"No. You're not going to hurt these people! Everybody gets upset, Hunter. It happens-"

Hunter stared at the scene before him as the echoing noise rang out. In a fit of anger, he had pulled the trigger, not thinking of his consequences. He let the gun fall to the ground as he realized what he had done. He'd _shot_ his own sister. She had fallen to the floor, and he could see the blood spilling out of her. Hunter had no idea if she was even alive or not. While he was stunned, Zig and Baaz had gotten a grip on either side of him. Tristan had his phone out, probably calling Miles. Everybody else was either crying hysterically or was too shocked to do anything.

Hunter finally broke free from Zig and Baaz, and kneeled down by his sister. He reached out to touch her, to apologize, to help her somehow...

* * *

Hunter was quite shaken, to say the least. He couldn't tell if the wetness was tears, sweat, or a combination. Usually his dreams only affected him. But this time, his classmates, friends, and family had been involved. Even if it was only a dream, he couldn't help but wonder if he would have done the same thing in real life if given the opportunity.

He shuddered. How could he fall back asleep with that image stuck in his mind? He couldn't, there was no way. He could still envision the way they all looked at him, like he was a monster. And in his dream, he _was_. He actually pointed that gun at people. He _shot_ the gun at one of the people he cared for most. He probably _killed_ her.

" _You're the best brother ever! I promise if you_ ever _have a bad dream, you can wake me up no matter what, deal?"_

For some reason, the words that were spoken nearly 10 years ago swirled around in his mind. He had never taken her up on her offer when they were kids. He never had a nightmare bad enough to do so. But tonight? He needed the reassurance that she didn't hate him. That she was still alive and well. Realistically, he knew she was fine, but any of his rationality had been distorted by the picture of him _shooting her._

He made up his mind. A promise was a promise after all, right? He wasted no time getting out of his room and into hers. She was sleeping obviously, and for a moment, Hunter contemplated how absurd he was being. Maybe he should just let her sleep. But, hard as he tried, he couldn't get his feet to move.

"Hunter? What are you doing?" Frankie asked as she woke up, sitting up in confusion. She had felt his presence in her room, even as she slept. She couldn't think of a single reason he would be in her room.

"I, uh- well, do you remember when we were little, and you'd sometimes come into my room when you had a bad dream?" He asked. He felt kind of foolish now, saying it out loud.

"Yeah?" She trailed off, too tired to fully understand.

"You said that if I ever had a nightmare, I could come to you," he reminded her. A lightbulb went off in Frankie's head, and she pieced together what was happening.

"Do you want to talk about it?" She asked, more awake than before.

"No," Hunter shuddered. He didn't want to relive it again, nor did he want to freak her out. "Just, can I, you know, stay here tonight?" He muttered as a blush spread across his cheeks. He was somewhat embarrassed to ask, but it was better than being up all night in a panic. Maybe, this way, he would at least get some sleep.

"Yeah, of course!" She said, immediately rolling over to let him in. "I meant what I said, even if we were just kids back then."

Hunter pulled back the covers, getting in the bed. It was large enough that it wasn't cramped. But he felt better being in the same room. He needed the reassurance.

"Thanks, Frankie," he said once they were both settled in.

"Anytime. Get some sleep, okay?" She said.

"Yeah, of course. Goodnight...I, um, love you," He whispered so softly, she almost didn't hear him.. If she said anything about it in the morning, he would deny it. After all, they didn't say those three words very often, especially as they had gotten older. It was reserved for special times, or else it lost it's meaning, Hunter reasoned. But in the dead of night, when he was at his most vulnerable, with nobody was around? It was different then.

"Love you too," she murmured.

Frankie waited until she was sure Hunter was asleep before she allowed herself to close her eyes. She couldn't place it, but something was up with him. He hadn't been the same lately. She just hoped that fulfilling her promise would help him, even if it was only a little bit.

 **I think I finally managed to write something that wasn't too angsty! But don't worry, I'm sure more of that will be up soon. I can't seem to stop myself from torturing these poor souls.**

 **Majority of the time I spent writing this I tried to figure out what would freak Hunter out badly enough that he'd finally take Frankie up on her offer. I finally decided that the combination of actually firing the gun, shooting somebody who means a great deal to him, and an injured sibling would do the trick. I don't know about any of you, but if I have a nightmare where somebody I care about is harmed or killed, I won't sleep until I know they're okay. I once tweeted somebody at 3 AM and wouldn't go back to bed until they reassured me they were perfectly safe.**

 **Fun Fact: I played Pumped Up Kicks by Foster the People while writing Hunter's dream, and Better Place by Rachel Platten while writing the rest.**

 **Next Up (At least, my current plan): Either "Baaz (Date)" or "Scandal" (Which is actually a request!)**

 **Thanks to everybody who has read, reviewed, favored, or followed this story! I am still taking requests, so please, don't feel shy!**


	8. Advice

**Advice**

 **Summary: Frankie gives Hunter advice about Yael. Set during 2X09 #TheseAreMyConfessions.**

Hunter was fuming. Yael was going on a date with _Baaz_? Last time he'd checked, they were barely friends, let alone romantically interested. He cringed as he thought about what activities the two might get up to on their outing. Would they kiss? Would they do more than kiss? Hunter thought he and Yael had something special, until she ditched him to go party it up with that idiot.

But in the end, he wanted her to be happy. And if that meant it was with Baaz instead of him, so be it.

Maybe it was for the best. After all, Hunter didn't quite have his life on track yet. He may have been out of the hospital, but everyday continued to be a struggle. He was trying, sure, but it was a process. He was terrified of lashing out on her again. There were only so many second chances a person could get, and Hunter didn't even want to think about harming her, or anybody else.

So, when Yael asked how he felt, he sucked it up and said he didn't care.

Hunter had left Yael with his sister, who was helping her get ready. He didn't understand why Frankie had chosen to team up against him with Yael. Did Frankie even like her? Had they been talking while he was in the hospital? Did they talk about _him?_ He hoped Frankie hadn't told her anything embarrassing.

He checked his clock. Yael might still be in Frankie's room. Maybe he could go apologize and tell her how he felt. Tell her to call Baaz and tell him she couldn't go because she was with Hunter instead.

No, he couldn't. He had to let her make her own choices, even if they were as bad as dating Baaz.

Even though they were friends, Hunter and Baaz had always had some sort of weird tension. Out of the four, they were definitely the least close. It was hard to place exactly when the silent falling out had taken place. When Hunter made derogatory comments towards his sister? When Hunter put Baaz on his kill list? When Baaz made that bet with Yael?

"You're an idiot, you know that?" He looked up to see Frankie staring down at him as she leaned against his door frame. Hunter rolled his eyes at her, but didn't protest. If anybody knew girls, after all, it was his sister.

"Yeah, well, what else was I supposed to do?" He asked, fiddling with the strings of his hoodie.

"Maybe tell her how you feel? The truth?" She said, joining him on the floor of his bedroom. He looked at her like she was crazy.

"I can't do that." he shook his head.

"Well, newsflash for you, girls don't like being told that they're just 'some stupid girl' and that their kind of boyfriend doesn't care who she goes out with."

"I'm not her dumb boyfriend!" He protested. His voice got softer as he carried on. "I just want her to be happy. I didn't mean that she was stupid. She's one of the smartest girls I know. Baaz is the stupid one."

"Why didn't you _tell_ her that? Now she thinks you don't like her," Frankie raised an eyebrow at Hunter.

"I care about her, Frankie. A lot. And I've learned that I can't control everybody around me, I can only control myself. If she wants to date Baaz, then I can't stop her."

Frankie marveled at how much Hunter had grown in just a few months. His stay at the hospital had truly done wonders for him. Before, Frankie barely recognized her twin, seeing only a shell of anger on the rare occasion they interacted. But now, he was working towards being the boy she'd known her whole life. The sweet introvert with a heart of gold and a mind of good intentions.

"She cares about you too! She doesn't want to be there with Baaz, she wants to be with _you._ She's only going because she owes him a date," Frankie told him. Everybody said girls were complicated, but Frankie would beg to differ.

"Then why did she say they might kiss?" Hunter asked, finally looking at up her.

"She wanted a reaction out of you! Yael wanted you to tell her that you don't want her to kiss Baaz, you want her to kiss you."

"Then why didn't she just tell me that herself?"

"You've been through a lot these past few months. She's letting _you_ set the pace for this relationship, or whatever it is you want to call it," she told him, as if were obvious.

"So Yael was just... trying to see how I felt about it?" Frankie couldn't help but laugh as she nodded. Maybe Hunter was _finally_ getting it.

"Exactly! Why do you think I kept asking _you_ questions about _Yael's_ outfit? I mean, yes, I wanted her to look good, but more importantly, I wanted _you_ to speak up," she explained her motives from earlier, and it was like a light bulb went off in Hunter's head.

"Damn it, I messed up, didn't I?"

"You could have done better. But to be fair, you aren't very experienced with girls, no offense. And you could have done a lot worse," she said. Hunter nodded, before asking a question that had been on his mind for a while now.

"Does she look pretty? Not that she doesn't always, but, you know..." He trailed off.

"Of course she looks gorgeous, I helped her!" Frankie said, almost offended that he would even ask. "But, you know, hearing it would mean a lot more coming from you than it would from me."

"Well, it's a bit late now. She's probably already making out with Baaz in the woods," Hunter sulked.

"Somehow, I don't think that's what's going on," she smirked at how into Yael her brother was. She was glad to see him taking an interest in somebody. Things with Arlene had never really gone anywhere last year, and he'd been pretty upset when she moved.

"I'm not supposed to be there anyway. How would I sneak in?" He asked. Frankie had to admit, he had a point. She was just about to answer when another voice sounded through the room.

"I think I can help with that." The twins turned to see Miles standing in the doorframe.

"How long have you been here?" Hunter asked, a bit hesitantly. Just because Hunter liked a girl didn't mean he wanted to broadcast it to everybody.

"Long enough," he shrugged. "I actually came to tell you," he turned to Frankie, "that you have a visitor. I sent Shay to your room. But I think I can help you out, too, Hunter."

"How?"

"You want to go get some ice cream?" Miles asked, a smirk on his face. Hunter looked at him like he had two heads.

"How is that going to solve my Yael problem?" Miles tried winking at him, but Hunter still hadn't caught on.

"Oh my god. He's taking you to see Yael," Frankie finally told him as Miles nodded in agreement.

"You in?"

"Yeah, let's go." Hunter practically tripped over himself trying to get up. He turned to Frankie.

"Are you coming?"

"You two go ahead. I have to go see why Shay is here," she said. Once she was out of the door frame, she turned back to him. "If you need anything, use Miles's phone to text me. I'll be here."

Hunter smiled at her, and she smiled back. Sometimes, he had to admit, having a sister was nice.

"Thanks, Frankie. Good luck with Shay."

"Good luck with Yael. If all goes well, maybe we can triple date with Tristan and Jonah!"

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves," Miles said, shooing her out before turning back to Hunter. "Ready?"

"Yeah, let's go. I think I know what to do now. I'm not going to screw up this time," he said, smiling. He knew Frankie wouldn't steer him wrong.

Hunter returned home that evening, the happiest he'd been in a long time. He passed through the living room, and almost didn't see the figure sitting on the couch until she spoke up.

"Did everything work out?" She asked, giving him her full attention as she waited with baited breath. He stopped and turned to her, a big smile on his face.

"Yeah, it did. Thank you for the advice, Franks. I couldn't have done it without you," he said sincerely.

"Anytime, brother. Anytime."

 **You know, I think I'm going to stop telling what's next, as I never follow my original plan.**

 **This was a request from BellaThorn633! Thank you so much for this! It was nice to write something with no real angst whatsoever. I thought the last chapter wasn't really angsty but my best friend informed me otherwise. Either way, thank you for the request. This was a bit tricky for me to write, as I don't ship Hunter and Yael. But, with that being said, I really liked writing this.**

 **On an unrelated note, updates for this are probably going to get less frequent in the coming weeks. I start my first class this Tuesday, and the rest of my classes September 6. But I'm definitely not abandoning the series!**

 **Baaz (Date) and Scandal are still in the works, but who knows what'll be next!**

 **Thanks to everybody who has read, reviewed, favored, or followed this story! I am still taking requests, so please, don't feel shy!**


	9. Scandal

**Scandal**

 **Summary: Hunter finds out who's nudes he received and has a talk with the sender about self worth, growing up, and scandal.**

 **This was a request from my friend, Lua, and from a Guest, asking for Hunter finding out he saw Frankie's nudes. This chapter is dedicated to Lua, as she has been an amazing inspiration to me in writing this. I was thinking about ending this series and she came along and encouraged me, so this one is for her!**

 **Just quickly before we start, this does deal with the Degrassi Nudes scandal on s14, and child pornography is discussed, but not described. Basically if you were uncomfortable with that plot, this may not be the story for you. Thanks!**

Frankie let her eyes loom over the "send" button. Did she really want to do this? Well- no, but how could she let her team down? Especially when she had been the one to bring up the double standard. Besides, what if Zoe found out? She'd be off the team in a heartbeat and all her friends would be gone.

Was it worth degrading herself for though? Sending that picture, not knowing who would receive it? What if it went to some Grade 12 guy who was way too old to be seeing her like that?

'They wouldn't know it's me,' she reasoned. It's not like they cared about her as a person, just as another set of boobs they could stare at. She shuddered at the thought of what they'd do with her picture.

'You can do it, Frankie. It's for the team. Everyone else is doing it,' she told herself as she shut her eyes and hit send.

She wanted to be sick as the screen confirmed that the image had been delivered to the recipient, whomever that may be. But there was no time to feel bad. She had to get ready for her Dad's event, and she was ready to show her family that she wasn't the good little girl that they all thought she was.

* * *

Hunter smirked as his phone lit up with a notification from oomfchat. Despite the unrecognizable username, he knew exactly what the image was going to be. He'd paid for it only moments before, and he was pleased that the service was quick. He was alone in his room, so Hunter wasn't worried about anybody walking in. He unlocked his device, opening oomfchat quickly.

Hunter tapped on the small icon, watching in glee as the image took up his screen. He took a screenshot so he could fully appreciate it at his leisure and without a time constraint. Once the time limit expired, he went into his photos, pulling it up again. This time, he took a good look. He noticed a lock of brown hair over her shoulder. He recognized it, but he couldn't quite place it. All he knew was it was somebody he knew. He zoomed in on the shoulder, and that's when he noticed it.

The background was all too familiar to him. He'd seen it many times throughout his life. Hunter was in that room almost as much as he was in his own. The room was in his house, there was no mistaking it. But that meant-

That picture was of Frankie.

Hunter cringed and closed out of the image. The hair belonged to her as well, he should've known. He couldn't believe he'd looked at a picture of his topless sister. Or that, for a moment, however briefly, he'd enjoyed it. Obviously he couldn't stomach looking at it now that he knew who it was. Out of all the girls he could have gotten, it just had to be her, didn't it?

But if Hunter received a topless picture from Frankie, then that meant...

Frankie was sending out topless pictures.

Who else had gotten that picture? Did she know she had sent it to him? What if she'd sent it to some creep? Hunter wasn't stupid, he knew what teenage boys did with pictures like that. He felt dirty for even seeing it. An image popped into his mind of said mystery guy saving that picture for the dead of night, and Hunter clenched his fists at the hypothetical situation.

Hunter could feel his blood boil at the thought of some guy staring at her like that. He knew his sister was beautiful, inside and out. But it's not like anybody else would care about her favorite color (purple), or her favorite drink (frozen hot chocolate) when they were looking at her body. There were only two things those guys cared about, and they were very prominently displayed in that photo. And honestly, had it been any other girl, Hunter probably would have thought the same thing. But it wasn't just any other girl, it was Frankie.

Yeah, there was no way she was getting away with this.

He stood up, unclenching his fists. He put his phone in his pocket and made a beeline for his sister's room.

He knocked on the door, which was unusual for them. The twins rarely partook in such a formality with each other, instead walking right in. But Hunter didn't want to walk in on her taking another photo. He'd seen more than enough of her, thank you very much.

"Come in!" Her voice rang through the door, just as chipper as always. He would have never known that mere moments ago, she was exposing herself on camera.

He entered her room, ready to give him a piece of his mind, when he saw what she was wearing. It was a tight, black dress, that showed just a bit too much for Hunter's liking. Especially after psyching himself out with the photo, there was no way she was going to Dad's campaign event dressed like that. There would probably be tons of older guys there, and the thought of them staring at her like an object made him nearly gag in disgust.

"What are you wearing?" He asked, the disapproval evident in his voice.

"It's hot, isn't it? How do you think I should wear my hair? In front of, or behind my shoulders?" She replied, checking herself out in the mirror one last time before fully turning to face Hunter, who ignored her question.

"You can't go dressed like that," he told her, looking anywhere but at her. He saw the piece of wall that had been in the background of the photo, and it became easy to envision exactly where she'd stood. Hunter didn't want those details. The less he knew, the better.

"Oh my God, you're just as bad as Mom! I don't see what the big deal is! We're 15, Hunter! We're basically adults!" She said, placing her hands on her hips, which only drew more attention to them. Hunter understood she was angry about being treated like a little girl, but that's what she was! They were both still so young.

"We're still 14, Frankie! We have lots of time before our 15th. And we aren't anywhere close to being adults. Do you want some guy who's probably older than Miles, or even Dad to be looking at you like a piece of meat?" Hunter finally, after sucking up how awkward he felt, looked her dead in the eyes, a sign of how serious he was.

"What's it to you? You've never cared about me before now, so what changed?" She cocked an eyebrow, not backing down.

"Don't say that, you know it's not true!" He said back, the anger obvious in his voice. How could she accuse him of not caring? Of course he cared!

"I'm just growing up, Hunter," she shrugged. Hunter shook his head. He didn't get her obsession with wishing her childhood away. This needed to stop before she did anything else more serious. He really didn't want to deal with a pregnant sister.

Hunter pulled his phone out of his pocket, finding the image, placing his hand over the phone as he tried his hardest not to look at it. He tapped on it and held it out to her.

"Really? Growing up means doing this?" Frankie's eyes widened as she saw the image, but she tried to play it off.

"Hunter, that's disgusting! Keep your porn to yourself, I don't want to see it," she cringed, looking away. Hunter didn't buy it, he knew the truth.

"Frankie, that's you. Don't tell me it isn't, because I know it is. That's your hair and your room. Look at the background." he showed it to her one last time before deleting the image. He never wanted to see it again. He crossed his arms, staring at her as he awaited an explanation. He wasn't angry at her, just at her actions. "So, why did you do this?"

Frankie's face flushed red. She knew she had been caught. In some ways, she was a bit relieved that she knew who the recipient was. At least she didn't have to worry about her brother keeping the image, or showing it to a bunch of people. On the other hand, now he knew she was involved with the pictures, and knowing him, he wasn't going to let her off easy. She stared at him, struggling to find words.

"I'm waiting."

"Well, um, you're the one who bought it! It's not like you're so perfect either. You're just proving the double standard that led to all this in the first place!"

"That's different! It's not like I sent out pictures of my dick, not knowing who was going to see it!" He said, almost glaring at her.

"You don't get it, Hunter. You don't get what it's like to walk down the hall having guys stare at you and make comments. You don't get what it's like to be told that your boyfriend can't be in your room even though your older brother has slept with plenty of girls and you're not even ready for that. You don't get what it's like to be treated differently because of something as simple as your gender!" She retorted back. Hunter was stunned speechless for a moment at the magnitude of her words.

"You're right, maybe I don't know. But I do know that this isn't the way to go about changing it," he gestured to her dress.

"It's not that easy. At least now, we're getting paid to be stared at. Besides, I'm not the only girl doing it."

"I don't care about other girls, I care about you! I don't want you cyber-prostituting yourself at 14 years old. Do you realize how messed up that is? This is child pornography, Frankie."

"You knew this was child pornography when you bought the image, Hunter," she pointed out to him. He knew he could fight her on this all he wanted, but she would only continue to point out how he had been in the wrong as well. So he tried something else.

"Franks. Do you want to do this?" She looked at him in confusion. His blue eyes were practically piercing through to her soul. For somebody who hadn't been able to look her in the eyes when he'd first entered the room, he was sure looking at her now.

"What?"

"Do you want to do this? Do you want to send these pictures out?" She didn't say anything for a minute. She could lie, telling him it felt liberating and that she enjoyed having control over how people viewed her. Or she could tell him everything. But what if he said something to Simpson? Or to Zoe? She looked up at him. He was easily the person in the world she trusted the most. And she did kinda wanted to tell somebody.

"No. Okay? No, I don't like it. But I don't really have a choice." Hunter raised his eyebrows.

"How so?"

"Because, otherwise... I'm going to get kicked off the team." She continued being vague, but Hunter understood her. He always did.

"The cheerleading team?" She nodded.

"It was Zoe's idea," she shrugged, her cheeks still pink. She hadn't expected to be having a talk with her twin brother about her naked photo, and she certainly hadn't expected him to be so passionate about it.

"So she's forcing you to do this?" He said. She could tell he was getting angry all over again, so she put her hands on his arms, trying to calm him down. Even though she was uncomfortable with the whole situation, Zoe was still her friend.

"No- well, kind of, but, I can't just let down my team. They're counting on me." Hunter shook his head. He'd used to have a bit of a crush on Zoe, but he couldn't now, knowing what she was doing. He wanted to go yell at Zoe, tell her to stop, but one look at Frankie's worried face told him he couldn't do that. She was trusting him.

"Is your spot on the team worth more than your comfort and body?" He asked. Realistically, he knew he couldn't force her to do anything. He could only encourage her and hope that she would make the right choice.

"I don't know," She shrugged at him.

"Just- don't sell yourself short, okay? I know things aren't always easy, but there are other ways to go about it," he told her.

"Thanks, Hunter," she smiled. There was still a lingering awkwardness between the two, but one look at Hunter reminded Frankie just who he was. Her brother.

"You're welcome. And I'm sorry to tell you, but the squad has lost a buyer. If you're uncomfortable with this, I'm not going to support it. And quite frankly, I don't want to risk seeing another picture of you. We were in the womb together, I've seen enough of that for a lifetime," he joked awkwardly before looking at the time on his phone. "I've really got to go finish getting ready for Dad's event. But please, Frankie, don't wish your childhood away. You'll have plenty of time to show off later, and to have as many boys in your room as you want."

Frankie looked at the pile of dresses and couldn't help but smile. Maybe he had a point. Hunter walked to the door and was about to exit when he decided to turn back, one more question on his mind.

"Do guys really make comments at you?"

"Everyday," she confirmed.

"Not anymore they don't. Okay?"

"Thanks, brother."Hunter nodded and closed the door, leaving Frankie alone again. She had to admit, she'd needed that talk.

She looked down at her phone, seeing a new pic request. She grabbed her phone before swiping at the notification, removing it from her phone. She didn't want to do it, so she wasn't going to. And even if Zoe got mad, at least she had Hunter to tell her it was okay.

 **I thought I'd get one last chapter in before school starts for real.**

 **I know there's a controversy surrounding whether Hunter received Frankie's nudes or not, but for the sake of this story, he did.**

 **I didn't get too descriptive with the image itself, because Sara would have been 15/16 around filming and Frankie was 14. I'm not comfortable getting into detail about the body of somebody who was not of age at the time. Sorry if parts seemed rushed because of this!**

 **Fun Fact (I think I'm going to make this a thing. Tell you the music I listened to while writing): I listened to Scars To Your Beautiful by Alessia Cara while writing this.**

 **You know by now how unpredictable I am with what's next, but my guess is it's either going to be "Date/Bazz," "Period," "Rehearsal," or "Comfort."**

 **Thanks to everybody who has read, reviewed, favored, or followed this story! It means the world!**


	10. Comfort

**Comfort**

 **Summary:** **In the summer before Grade 10, Frankie lost two boys. But lucky for her, she has one who will always be there.**

Frankie had gone home not long after Winston had broken up with her. Miles had done the best he could, and Frankie had to admit, after dancing with him, she felt a bit better, but no matter how hard Miles tried to keep the former lovers apart, she felt herself able to concentrate on nothing but Winston. Sensing her discomfort, Miles eventually gave up and drove his sister home. Out of sight, out of mind, Frankie reasoned

"Do you want me to stay with you?" Miles asked, sympathetically, as they pulled up to the Hollingsworth house. He knew just how much breakups sucked. _Maya, Tristan, Zoe._

"No. You should go back with your friends. Zoe, Tristan… Winston," she said, her voice cracking a bit.

"You know I'll keep him out of the house until you're over him, right?" Miles asked. He felt a bit bad, choosing between his sister and his best friend, but if there was one thing this year had taught him, it was that family comes first. Always.

"You don't have to do that. You warned me and I didn't listen," Frankie said, trying desperately to keep her composure. Miles placed a comforting hand on her shoulder for a moment, but Frankie soon moved to get out of the car. "I'll be fine. Go have fun." She faked a smiled before closing the door and walking up the driveway to the mansion.

Miles waited until he was sure Frankie was inside before pulling his phone out. He found the number he was looking for, and shot off a quick text before driving back to the beach. He wanted to stay and comfort her, but she was stubborn. She wouldn't let him see her break. There was only one person who would have that privilege.

* * *

Hunter had opted out of going to the beach with his classmates. He didn't have many friends, and to be honest, he was more content staying inside and playing video games. His siblings had both gone, leaving Hunter with the house all to himself. Perfect. He could stay in his room as long as he wanted without any judgement from them.

That plan had been working perfectly, until his phone buzzed on the table. He looked down, but when he saw it was just Miles, he ignored it. He was probably just telling him something stupid, such as "make sure to eat something and stay hydrated."

* * *

Frankie lost it the moment she'd closed the door. She had controlled herself at the beach, but now that she was alone, she could cry as hard as she wanted without anybody bothering her. Hunter wouldn't notice she was home. He probably had his headphones on anyway.

Frankie couldn't even make it to her bedroom. She just collapsed on the couch. The same couch her and Winston had lied on while watching that movie only days before. The reminder only served to make her cry harder. Was everything going to make her upset? How long was this feeling going to last? She'd honestly thought she'd loved Winston. She'd planned their wedding dozens of times in her head, but now, that was all fantasy. A fantasy that was ruined by harsh reality. None of this would have happened if it hadn't been for...Logan.

Logan.

How could Frankie have been so stupid? She'd _trusted_ Logan. She'd thought there was a connection. But he had played her. In hindsight, she really should have seen it coming. But she had been so caught up in the excitement and the drama that she hadn't stopped to consider that he didn't actually care about her at all. Not only that, but her brother was out $5,000 now. And it was all because she had been stupid. Frankie wasn't nearly as mature as she'd thought she was. Mature people aren't caught between their crush of nearly their whole life and some guy they'd just met at work.

This was supposed to be Frankie's summer. But it had instead ended in her losing two people who were very important to her. Frankie's heart was twice as broken, and now she was left alone, crying on the couch.

* * *

Hunter continued his gaming for another 20 minutes before finally deciding to take a break. He figured all his online friends would want a break from getting their asses kicked. Hunter grabbed his phone, ready to switch to something handheld, when he remembered he'd never opened Miles's text. Hunter unlocked his phone, getting into his messages. He was going to read it for the sake of getting rid of the "1" that would otherwise hover over the icon, but when he tapped it, he saw something more serious than the run of the mill "get off your electronics" text from his brother.

 _Can u check on Frank? Brought her home, won't talk 2 me. Really upset._

Frankie was home? How had Hunter not noticed? Normally, she would just barge in uninvited and tell Hunter to go outside, or at least to the living room, but she hadn't made a single audible noise.

And why did Miles bring her home in the first place? Frankie had rambled on non-stop that morning about how excited she was to spend the day with Winston. She had been bummed out about Logan, sure, but she'd put on a smile and said that Logan was simply an idiot, which Hunter fully agreed with.

Hunter got up from his chair and walked down the hall, to where Frankie's room was. He opened the door, but found the room empty. It was then that he heard the sounds coming from the living room.

 _Crying?_

That was undeniably his sister. Hunter was very familiar with what her crying sounded like. Sometimes, it was annoying how much she cried, but at the heart of it, Hunter couldn't help but be concerned. So he went down into the living room, and sure enough, she was lying face down on the couch, sobbing.

"Frankie?" Hunter asked, warily. He never knew how to comfort people, especially when they were crying. Frankie jumped a bit, clearly surprised by her brother's presence. She sat up, wiping her eyes in an attempt to pretend everything was okay.

"Oh. Hey, Hunter. Finally decided to come out of your abyss?" Frankie asked. Hunter raised an eyebrow at her, unimpressed by her facade. He sat down beside her, looking at her face. Her eyes were bloodshot, showing more red than brown. Her cheeks were wet with tears, and her normally adorable smile was replaced by a sad frown.

"Come on, Franks, I'm not stupid, you're obviously crying. So what happened?" He asked, not really giving her an option to deny that she wasn't okay. She looked down at the ground, and uttered the one word that made her fall apart all over again.

"Winston."

"What about him?" Hunter asked, still unsure of what the problem was.

"He-he broke up with me." Hunter stared at Frankie, wide eyed. Winston and Frankie...broke up?

Hunter had to admit, when they'd first gotten together, he hadn't approved, which may have had something to do with Miles continually venting about how nobody was good enough for Frankie, and how all high school guys were looking for one thing. Hunter's concerns had only multiplied when he found Winston and Frankie in bed together, Winston missing a shirt.

But still, anything was better than seeing Frankie upset. There was a range of emotions Hunter went through. Relieved, at first, because now he didn't have to worry about his sister getting pregnant. Then anger. How could Winston do that to Frankie? She was the best girl he was ever going to get. Finally, sadness, for his twin was sad. When she was upset, so was he. Maybe it was a twin thing. He put an arm around her and she leaned into his touch.

"I'm sorry, Frankie. Do you want me to go kill him?" He half-joked. That managed to get a laugh out of her, but it didn't stop her tears.

"No. I just- I feel so stupid," she admitted. "I didn't appreciate what I had and now I've lost it."

"You made an honest mistake. You were doing what you thought was right. It's not your fault that Logan guy turned out to be a jerk," Hunter said in an attempt to be comforting.

"I know, but I lost Winston over it. I lost two guys over it. I...I never told Winston I loved him," she confessed, causing Hunter to stiffen a bit.

"You love him?"

"I thought I did. But then, would I have crushed on Logan?" She looked up at him, as if he held all the answers. The two had grown surprisingly close over the summer, with Hunter helping Frankie deal with Logan.

"Franks, I'm not experienced in the romance department, you know that. I can't tell you how to feel," Hunter said, honestly.

"I wish I could take it all back," she said, shrugging.

"You know, Winston was kind of a dick. Didn't he kiss Lola?"

"Yeah, but he said what I did was way worse."

"I don't think it was," Hunter said. This got Frankie to smile, feeling a bit more validated.

"Thanks. How long is this going to last, Hunter?" She asked. Hunter looked at her, confused.

"How long is what going to last?"

"The hurt. The heartache. It feels like I can't breathe. Everybody says love is such a good thing, but did those people ever feel like this?" Another tear began to fall and Hunter wiped it away. He had a feeling there would be a lot of tears in the coming weeks from his sister.

"I don't- I don't know, Frankie. I'm sorry Winston sucks," he said, at a loss for words. He knew how intelligent his sister was, but her words seemed so poetic. She looked older, somehow. He hugged her just a little bit tighter, hoping it could somehow help alleviate her pain.

This pain was so much worse. With physical pain, Hunter could just give Frankie some advil and let her go on with her day. But how can you cure emotional pain? Hunter didn't know what to do in the slightest. He remembered how it felt when Arlene left, sure. But that couldn't be compared to what Frankie was going through. They were in different leagues.

"I don't want to see him ever again but I also want to see him right now."

"Just stay here. Maybe Miles will talk to him." It was an empty idea, but it seemed to comfort her somewhat.

"Maybe." She shrugged. "I'm sorry I stole $5000 from you. I'll pay you back, promise."

"Hey, you didn't steal from me, I gave it to you. And I'm not worried about getting the money back. It's not like we're exactly lacking," he pointed out.

"I know, but still. I will, as soon as I can."

"If it makes you feel better. But I don't expect you to." There was a slight pause before Frankie spoke again.

"Thank you, Hunter. I feel a little better. Or at least, not so alone."

"That's what brothers are for, isn't it?" He smiled at her, happy to see genuine positivity written on her face. Maybe he wasn't such a bad comforter after all.

She leaned her head on his shoulder, content to be there with him. It felt so much better than being on that beach, watching Winston hopelessly, or in her room alone, crying to an empty space. It had just felt nice to be listened to while she vented.

He handed her a box of tissues from the table next to the couch, which she took gratefully, wiping away the residue of tears that remained on her face. She was pretty sure she was done crying- at least for now. But she liked the feeling of sibling camaraderie with Hunter. They had been through so much in the past year, and everything was changing it seemed.

"Hey Frankie?" Hunter asked after a moment of silence.

"Yeah?"

"You know, a lot of guys are going to love you in your lifetime. But no matter what happens, just remember, there's always going to be someone who loved you first," Hunter told her, meaning every word. Frankie was the first girl (other than his mother) Hunter had ever loved, and she would be the last as well. She would always come first. Even if Hunter had a difficult time expressing his emotions, it didn't mean he didn't feel them. He would have to be heartless to not love his sister. Sure, they had their ups and downs, but at the end of the day, the two of them would always have each other.

"Love you too, Hunter."

Heartbreak sucked, but for Frankie, it sucked a little less knowing she had people around who loved her regardless of how many boys came into her life, how many times she hurt, or how many mistakes she made.

 **You may have noticed a new cover for this story! Well, you can thank my friend Lua for that! She has truly been the Hunter to my Frankie these past few weeks. She makes amazing edits and concept art and has kept me going for the past weeks.**

 **In fact, this chapter is dedicated to Lua! She requested Hunter comforting Frankie after the events of 'Don't Look Back.' I hope you like it, Lua!**

 **Del's recommended song to listen to is: Don't You Worry Child (Madilyn Bailey cover) and Summertime Sadness (Also Madilyn Bailey).**

 **Thank you to everyone who has read, reviewed, favored, or followed. It means the world!**


	11. Welcome Home

**Hello!**

 **Hollingstwins is back!**

 **I've been so swamped with school and work, but I promise, I'm writing every chance I get!**

Hunter had a genuine smile on his face for the first time in months. Today was the day. He _finally_ got to go home.

Over the past few months, so much had changed. At first, Hunter had hated his family, pissed off that they were sending him away to a place for crazy people. But as time had gone on, Hunter had become grateful to them. Now, he felt the best he had in a long time.

He waited excitedly for his family to come, checking the clock hanging on the wall every 15 seconds. Despite how beneficial his stay in the hospital had been, he was anxious to just _go home_. To eat breakfast with his family, to walk to classes with his friends, and to just _be normal._ Or, at least, as normal as he could be. Hunter wasn't done with his recovery process by any means, but he was pleased that he had made enough progress to be able to continue to work on himself at home.

Luckily, Hunter didn't have to wait long. Right on time, his mother and Miles walked through the doors, smiles plastered on both their faces. It was clear that they were just as happy to be bringing home Hunter as he was to _go_ home.

His mother approached him first, wrapping her arms around her son. Hunter couldn't help but feel guilty. The last time she'd hugged him, he had been in the beginning stages of recovery, and he'd completely ignored how much she cared about him, and how hard it had been for her. Hunter returned her hug, determined to make sure she knew he held no resentment towards her.

"Oh, I'm so proud of you, Peanut!" She exclaimed, and Hunter resisted the urge to roll his eyes at the dreaded nickname he shared with his sister. Instead, he let it go, knowing how elated his mother was to finally have all three of her children back home.

"Thanks, Mom," he said, smiling at her as the two separated. Diana stepped back and allowed Miles to take her place, following in her footsteps as he also gave his little brother a hug.

Over the past few months, Miles had truly made an effort to be a better brother. With their dad not around too often, he felt the need to step up and be somewhat of a father figure to both his siblings. Hunter felt like he owed Miles his life. His older brother was the first one to know something was wrong, and had he given up on Hunter instead of getting him the help he needed, who knows what he would have done next.

"Thank you," Hunter said, his voice nearly a whisper, as he hugged Miles. He didn't need to say anything more, both of them knew what he meant. Miles squeezed just a bit tighter as he responded. He didn't care about looking unmanly, his little brother was finally returning home with him, with _them_ , and that was all he cared about in the moment.

"I'm glad you're coming home."

"Yeah. Me too." Hunter pulled away, looking around, his face dropping when he saw one very important key member of his family missing.

"She's just finishing setting up for the party at home, but she can't wait to see you. She wanted to make sure everything was perfect for your much anticipated return," Miles assured him, as if reading his mind. Hunter nodded, excited to not only be home, but to be reunited with Frankie. She had visited him in the hospital, but it wasn't the same as sitting on the couch, watching movies, or comparing and trading comics in their rooms.

"Can we go?" Hunter asked eagerly, and his mother nodded, a laugh escaping her at the enthusiasm her youngest son was displaying. This was who Hunter used to be, before his world had come crashing around him.

Diana signed her son out, and after thanking and saying goodbye to his doctors, Hunter stepped out of the psychiatric center for the final time. Miles allowed him shotgun with no argument, and Hunter used the ride home to catch up with his mother and brother, but the whole time, his thoughts were on seeing his twin.

Would things be different? This had been the first time the two had been separated, and it had taken a toll on Hunter. He hadn't realized just how much he would miss his sister until it was too late. Sure, she visited him frequently, but it wasn't the same.

The sight of the placed he'd called home for years filled Hunter's heart with joy. Diana barely had time to park the car before Hunter was bolting out, taking in the familiar sights. Everything was just as he remembered it, which calmed his nerves. He had worried that everything would be unrecognizable, or worse, that he would forget, but luckily that wasn't the case.

Now that he was home, Hunter had one thing on his mind. Or rather- one person.

* * *

Frankie was in the living room, nearly bouncing in excitement. With everything that was going wrong in her life, it was nice that _finally,_ something positive was happening. On her face was a permanent smile, as she counted down the moments until Hunter would be home.

She felt such a sense of pride for her brother. He'd been to hell and back, but now, he had something to show for it. He accepted help, and although it took a while, and had taken a toll on the whole family, it was one of the best things Frankie could have asked for him.

Frankie had silently watched her twin through his recovery process. She still remembered vividly the first time she'd visited, when he'd freaked out and tried to escape. She had been terrified at the time. That person wasn't her brother. He was somebody else, just occupying his body.

 _But now._

The last few times Frankie had visited had put her nerves to rest. Hunter was smiling, laughing, and was genuinely happy to see her. She felt much more at ease, for his sake rather than her own. She couldn't even imagine the suffering he must have been going through, and she chastised herself everyday for having not noticed it sooner.

The least she could do now was finish setting up for his party. She was determined to make sure he felt happy, safe, and loved.

Frankie struggled to hang the final balloon up in the living room. It was just barely too high up for her. She was about to get something to stand on when a familiar voice rang through her ears.

"Need some help?"

 _Hunter!_

Frankie turned around to see her twin standing in the doorway. He had a shy smile on his face as he looked at her. Frankie wasn't used to seeing this look on his face. He usually outwardly appeared confident, no matter what he was feeling inside. But for once, he was letting his guard down.

She stood frozen in place for a few seconds, looking him up and down as the balloon fell to the floor, forgotten. He was _finally_ here, finally home. Knowing he was coming home and actually _seeing_ him were two different feelings. She stood speechless, staring at him as a wide smile broke across her face.

Once her brain caught up to her eyes, she dashed across the room, wrapping him up in a tight hug, which he graciously returned, even picking her up for a second as the two were finally reunited.

"You're home!" It was the only thing Frankie could think of to say, and even though it was muffled by the fabric of Hunter's shirt, he still heard it.

"I'm not leaving again, Frankie. I'm staying here," he assured her, just as elated as she was.

"How do you feel?" She asked. There were so many things she needed to catch Hunter up on, but for now, she just wanted to focus on him.

"So much better," he admitted. "I had forgotten what it was like to be happy, or at least not pissed off all the time." Frankie was beaming with pride, which made Hunter all the more enthusiastic. He wanted his family to be proud of him, but for some reason, her opinion mattered so much, even if he sometimes tried to pretend it didn't.

"I'm glad...And I'm glad you're home. It felt weird, not hearing you wander out to the kitchen at 3 AM to get more soda so you could stay awake playing video games longer," she laughed, but the sincerity was still there.

"And I missed having to come tell you to eat breakfast every morning because you couldn't decide what to wear and would show up late," he teased back.

"Are you excited for your party?" She asked him.

"Yeah. I mean, I guess a bit nervous, but I feel really good now, Franks. I'm really glad I got help. And...I'm sorry." The final part of his though confused Frankie, and she raised her eyebrows at him.

"You're sorry? For what?"

"For not being around. I know you're having a tough time, and I'm sorry I couldn't do more for you. There was only so much I could do from inside those four walls. And I'm sorry I left you at such a weird point in our lives, with Dad moving out not long ago and all." Frankie's confusion didn't seem to subside.

"There's no need to be sorry, Hunter. I'm glad that you got help. I missed you, don't get me wrong, but I'd rather have had you recovering away from me than suffering by my side. Really, I should be apologizing. I'm sorry I didn't talk to you, or notice something sooner. I had no idea you were going through so much."

"Nobody did, it's okay. _I_ didn't even realize it." Hunter assured her. He held no resentment towards her, or anyone else for that matter.

"I'm your twin though, I _should_ have noticed," she tried to argue, but it fell on deaf ears as Hunter wouldn't accept it.

"I'm here now, and that's all that matters. And like I said, I'm not going anywhere. You're stuck with me," he said, lightening the mood as his sister giggled. She was about to say something, but she was cut off by their mother's entrance.

"Oh, my Peanuts! I hate to cut your reunion short, but Hunter, you're friends will be here soon, so you should both make sure you're ready!" she smiled at her children. Diana had felt a sense of loss when the twins had stopped hanging around each other as much, but it warmed her heart to see that there had been no change in the love between the two.

The two pulled apart at their mother's request and went off to their respective rooms to finalize their appearances for the gathering.

* * *

Hunter sat on his bed that night- _his actual bed_ , the day's events rolling through his mind. The party had been a success, and he was glad there was no resentment between the four. He'd seen Yael a few times while he was in the hospital, but it was the first time in two months he'd seen Baaz or Vijay. However, once they'd gotten over the initial awkwardness, it had felt like no time had passed as they played various games once again.

He'd thought the day had been perfect, but it wasn't over yet, as he found out when he heard the soft knock on his door. He knew before it even opened who it was.

"Come in!" The door opened, and Hunter was proven right as Frankie stepped inside, closing the door behind her.

"Hi," she said, and now it was her turn to smile shyly at him.

"Hey," he replied, moving over so she could sit next to him, an offer she accepted.

"Did you like your party?"

"Yeah, it was great. Thank you for all the planning you did."

"Of course, I'm glad you had fun," she said before placing a wrapped package in his hands. "I got you something, but I wanted to wait until after the party to give it to you."

Hunter took the package with a smile, unwrapping it with care. His face lit up as he saw what the contents were. It was a sketchbook, but attached was an art set, complete with colored pencils, gel pens, drawing pencils, and erasers that wouldn't leave any smudges. Hunter looked up at her in awe, holding the gift gently.

"I thought you might get bored...not having a computer and all, and I know you like to draw, and you're _really_ good, and I- I hope you like it," she trailed off, suddenly feeling worried that he wouldn't like it. To her excitement, however, he gently put the art set down and pulled her into a hug for the second time that day.

"I love it, really. Thank you, Frankie." The two smiled at each other.

"I'm glad you're home, Hunter. I missed you."

"I missed you too."

 **Thank you for anyone who had read, reviewed, favored, or followed this series. It's greatly appreciated!**


	12. Sick Day

In the back of her mind, Frankie knew that she was sick from the moment she woke up, but she was determined not to let it get to her. After all, if she put herself in a good mindset, her body would listen, right? And while staying home alone in a big house might sound like a lot of fun, Frankie would much rather be socializing with her friends, not lying on the couch, only able to focus on how poorly she felt.

So, she stumbled out of bed, trying her best to make herself look presentable. She thought maybe getting up and moving around would make her feel better, but it only served to make her feel worse. Reasoning that she still had a little while before she had to leave her room and face her family, Frankie lied back down on her bed. She would just stay a couple more minutes…

* * *

"Frankie? Come on, we're going to be late." The next thing she knew, Frankie was being violently shaken by someone. Had she really fallen asleep?

Frankie opened her eyes to see Hunter standing above her, looking moderately annoyed that she wasn't already up and ready to face the day. But she didn't care, she already had enough problems as it was.

"'M coming, go away," she groaned, turning away, her voice slightly raspy. But, like the annoyed twin brother he was, Hunter wouldn't leave her alone.

"Come on, Sunshine," he said, sarcasm dripping from voice as he pulled her up. "If we're late, Mom will get pissed. Not to mention our breakfast will get cold."

Frankie didn't really have an appetite, but it would come across as suspicious if she didn't eat anything, so she reluctantly complied. Once she was standing, she glared at him. It was the first time Hunter had seen her face, and he raised an eyebrow at her. She was pale, with dark circles around her eyes that even her finest makeup couldn't conceal.

"Are you okay? No offense Franks, but you look like crap," he noted. This only served to irritate his sister more.

"Wow, thanks. And how is it you don't have a girlfriend?" She rolled her eyes.

"Sorry- You know what I mean. Are you sick? I can go tell Mom you're staying home if you want-"

"No, that won't be necessary. I'm not sick, I'm fine," she lied. "Probably just seasonal allergies."

"Frankie, you don't _have_ seasonal allergies." He put a hand to her forehead, copying the action he'd seen his mother do countless times when he wasn't feeling well. "You're really warm, I think you have a fever."

"I appreciate the concern, but I'm fine. Didn't you say we were going to be late, Hunter? Come on." She walked past him, exiting the room. Hunter knew how stubborn she was, so he chose not to fight it, following her out of the room. They had enough classes that if she took a turn for the worse, he would be able to notice it.

* * *

"You're not fooling anybody, you know. Ready to admit that you're sick?" Hunter looked over at her as they stood at their lockers. Their first two classes had gone by, and Frankie felt just as bad as she had that morning.

"I'm fine. If anything, it's just-" She was cut off by a cough, which soon turned into a fit of coughing that had her keeled over. Hunter stared at her somewhat smugly. He felt bad, of course, but he also didn't want to pass up an opportunity to be right. He thought about patter her back, but he didn't want to make things worse. Once she was finished, she looked back up at him, glaring.

"Ready to admit defeat?" He asked, unsurprised when she shook her head.

"I just swallowed wrong or something. No big deal."

"Alright, whatever you say," he said, closing his locker and walking towards his next class.

* * *

As the day progressed, Frankie's condition only worsened. Her head was pounding, her body couldn't seem to decide if it was hot or cold, and she was hardly speaking, as her throat hurt too much. She left her English class wishing that she had listened to her brother and stayed home, but the damage was done.

"You were right," her voice was hoarse as she walked down the hall with her twin.

"I'm sorry, what was that again?" He smirked, leaning in to hear the words she rarely said to him.

"I said you were right. Don't be a jerk." She rolled her eyes at him. "I wish I'd stayed home."

"Do you want to go home?" Hunter asked, dropping the facade and actually being nice to Frankie.

"I would love to, but I don't know where Miles is, and he has the keys-" She was interrupted by Hunter reaching into his pocket, pulling out the object in question.

"How did you get them?"

"Asked Miles for them this morning. I had an idea that you might eventually give in." Hunter could empathize with his sister. Nobody liked being sick. "Come on, I'll drop you off," he said, leading her into the office. He signed them both out and the two walked out to the car.

* * *

"Alright, here we are," Hunter said, as Frankie unbuckled her seatbelt. "I'll see you later, okay? Feel better." Frankie's face twisted into one of confusion.

"You're not staying?" She asked. Being sick made her more whiny than usual, but Hunter, having lived with her their whole lives, was used to it.

"I- No, I was going to go back to school," he told her.

"Will you stay, please? I don't want to be alone, that's boring. _Please_ Hunter?" She begged. If he was being honest, he didn't really feel like returning to school either. He sighed, pretending to be annoyed, although it obvious that he was just joking.

"Alright, alright, jeez, I'm coming," he said, turning off the car. He walked alongside Frankie, noting that she was walking at a much slower pace than normal.

"Have you had anything to eat today? And don't lie to me, I know you didn't eat anything at breakfast." Hunter wasn't exactly sure how to care for someone who was sick, but he figured he'd use a combination of how his Mom and Miles handled illness with the twins and how Hunter felt when he was sick.

"No," Frankie admitted. "Nothing sounds good."

"Okay." Hunter nodded. "Go get comfortable and I'll get you something. You can't just not eat." Frankie complied, going to her room to change into more comfortable clothes before positioning herself on the couch.

Hunter, meanwhile, searched the kitchen for something to make for his sister. What were you supposed to feed someone who wasn't hungry? Turning to the internet, Hunter pulled out his phone, searching for the best foods eat while sick. Once he found results that he was confident he wouldn't screw up, he began preparing.

* * *

Hunter walking into the living room, tray in hand. Frankie looked at him, her eyes widening at the amount of food.

"Hunter? That's a lot, and I told you-"

"I know, but I wasn't sure what you'd want. There's toast, a banana, an ice pop- if you want that, you should probably eat it sooner rather than later, a bottle of water, and some ginger ale." He placed the tray on the floor beside her.

"Thank you, Hunter." Frankie smiled at him gratefully, which he returned.

"I'll be right back, okay?" Frankie nodded, and Hunter exited the room once more, returning quickly with 2 blankets, a box of tissues, and an ice pack. He placed the tissues on the side table, the ice pack over her forehead, and wrapped the first blanket around her, placing the other one beside the couch, just in case. He was pleased to see that she was eating the ice pop.

"Is there anything else you need?" He asked. His plan was to go to his room to play video games and leave Frankie be, but she was having none of that.

"Will you stay here? Oh! Will you play with my hair?" She asked, her face lighting up. It was the most upbeat Hunter had seen her all day. Out of all the possible things she could have asked of him, this certainly wasn't the hardest.

"After you finish eating. And if I get sick, you _better_ take care of me," he told her.

"Of course." She sat up, allowing Hunter to sit where her head had been resting. Once she had eaten some of the toast, she laid back down, her head resting on his lap.

Hunter wasn't quite sure how to play with someone's hair, so he awkwardly picked some of it up, running it through his fingers. It felt weird, and he was worried he'd pull too hard and hurt her.

"Is this how you do it?" He asked her. Frankie nodded contently, her eyes already beginning to close. Hunter continued, eventually gaining a bit more confidence in his movements.

"You okay?" He asked. He waited for a response, but received none. She had fallen asleep. Normally, this would be when Hunter would leave the room, but because he was currently serving as her human pillow, he was unable to get up, leaving him no choice but to stay.

Hunter noticed that he was feeling a bit tired himself. A small nap wouldn't hurt, and it would be better than just sitting there, waiting for Frankie to wake up. He reclined the seat gently, taking great care not to wake up his twin. Once he was situated, he closed his eyes.

Being a caretaker was a lot harder than he thought it would be. Hunter didn't mind though, knowing that if he was sick next week, Frankie would gladly do the same for him.

* * *

 **Hello! Hollingstwins is back!**

 **I'm so incredibly sick right now, so I thought I'd project it onto fictional characters! This wasn't a planned chapter, but when I fell sick it was the only thing on my mind. There is a lot coming up in the future!**

 **S3 is on Friday and I'm NOT READY.**

 **I've been thinking of writing a part 2 with Hunter getting sick and Frankie taking care of him. Is that something anybody would read?**

 **Thank you to everybody who has read, reviewed, or left kudos. It makes my day!**


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